Marathon star seeks to block ex-husband from marital properties

Lucy Kabuu (left) wants her ex-husband Jeremiah Maina blocked from their marital property. [Daniel Chege, Standard]

Lucy Kabuu, a Kenyan marathon star, has given key reasons why her ex-husband Jeremiah Maina should be blocked from their marital property. Kabuu was the 2006 Commonwealth 10,000 metres champion.

In her testimony before Justice Samwel Mohochi, Ms Kabuu maintained that she used her money earned in athletics to buy properties and land worth tens of millions.

Kabuu testified that she acquired most of the properties before meeting Maina, her coach.

"All the funds used to acquire property even when I was together with Maina, came from my earnings in athletics," she told the court.

Maina wants 50 per cent of the marital estate. He insists that they accumulated the wealth with Kabuu between 2009 and 2014 when they were together.

However, Kabuu accused Maina of being cruel, violent, dishonest, and uncaring when they were together.

Kabuu said she was adamant that Maina only entered into the relationship to steal the property from her.

According to Kabuu, Maina has put her life in danger. She even asked the court to guarantee her safety after she testified against him.

Kabuu narrated how Maina allegedly orchestrated plans to steal money and property from her, including faking his abduction and demanding a ransom of Sh500,000 only to later claim the kidnappers had released him.

"Whenever I involved the police instead of sending the money, he would appear and say the kidnappers had released him," she said.

When she discovered his ploy, Kabuu testified that he turned violent, assaulted her, and threatened to end her career.

She said she was forced to write to the Inspector General of Police in 2014 following the threats. When they met, she testified, they were both police officers.

Kabuu said she was forced to flee her matrimonial home before Maina instituted a divorce case. Their marriage was dissolved in 2020.

On his part, Maina testified that he made a substantial contribution to the acquisition of the properties.

“I was a police officer earning Sh36,000. I had 11 acres of land in Nyahururu where I grew potatoes and kept dairy cattle and earned at least Sh200,000 monthly,” he said.

He said he resigned from the Police Service in 2014 to run the family business and coach Kabuu.

The disputed properties include prime plots in Nakuru, Nyandarua, Laikipia, and Nairobi, commercial and residential properties, motor vehicles, and parcels of land. The hearing will continue on July 9.