Woman's 10-year divorce battle from 'cruel' husband

A woman has been in court for close to 10 years seeking to dissolve her marriage on grounds of domestic violence.

Hilda Akumu moved to Kisumu law courts in 2007, 18 years after she got married, seeking to divorce her husband who she accused of being cruel.

She accused Constatine Wasonga, her husband, of being hostile and violent towards her for no apparent reason. She also alleged that the man had threatened to kill her on several occasions, failed to pay for the upkeep of their two children and that he had denied the children fatherly love and attention. Wasonga was also accused of having an uncaring attitude towards the children’s welfare.

In his defence, Wasonga has denied his wife’s allegations  and instead accused her of subjecting him to cruelty by deserting their matrimonial home in 2000.

Akumu, he said, disappeared with their joint property, denied him the right to see his children, subjected the children to mental torture by bringing home different boyfriends and also by desertion denied him his conjugal rights.

Fruitless Efforts

His wife, however, told the court that she had made fruitless efforts to rebuild their broken marriage by even seeking the intervention of relatives. She now wants her husband to pay for their children’s school fees, clothing, medical expenses, food, rent and electricity, among others, until they become independent.

She also requested the court to dissolve the marriage and also grant her custody of the children. The court is yet to deliver its decision.