Revealed: Messy divorce cases in Kenya with shocking dirty secrets

The divorce case pitting Meru Senator Mithika Linturi and Marianne Ketany enthralled Kenyans with the intensity of an award-winning Mexican soap opera, with twists and turns and a huge heap of dirty linen popping up on the clothesline. This, is however, not the first messy divorce involving powerful people to explode in Kenyan courts like a hot, pungent piss.

Samuel Gichuru VS Salome Njeri

While most divorces usually end with sharing of property, long serving Kenya Power CEO Samuel Gichuru’s divorce triggered money laundering charges against him. Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned and the billionaire could probably end up spending his twilight years in a cold foreign jail, miles away from his country, and his multibillion empire.

Gichuru was married to Salome until he met Bilha Wanjiku. He employed Bilha as a secretary and rapidly promoted to head of human resources before giving her the ultimate promotion, to his bed while she was still married to former head of NYS, Richard Ndubai.

Gichuru’s wife, Salome Njeri, now deceased, couldn’t stand a crowded marriage and initiated divorce proceedings against her husband, as Ndubai, too, divorced Bilha.

Ken Kiplagat VS Catherine Jelugat Kiplagat

While the dregs of society spend endlessly months squabbling how dowry will be refunded, billionaire lawyer Ken Kiplagat and his estranged wife battled about distributing his wealth, estimated to be over Sh200 billion.  His estranged wife, Catherine Jelugat Kiplagat, had in 2011 filed for divorce and claimed that Kiplagat was using his legal expertise to hide his assets from her. In her affidavit, she claimed that when he was a director at the Communications Commission of Kenya, he allocated his company, Toads Media, ten frequencies which he subsequently sold for Sh400 million.

Jelugat also claimed that Kiplagat had multiple bank accounts holding Sh600 million, Sh2 billion, Sh1 billion, and Sh87 million. Her court papers also alleged that he had interests in Tetra Radio, Toads Media Group, Bond Conservancy, Southern Cross Engineering, and Naivasha Cottages.

She also claimed that he owned substantial property including two houses in Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha, 40 acres of land in Kabarak, 100 acres in Kabarak Menengai West, a house in Eldoret near State House, 50 acres in Eldoret, a house in Milimani Nakuru, a villa in Vipingo Ridge in Kilifi, and a house in the expensive residential neighbourhood of Kensington in London.

Chatur Mihadarati VS Nazlin Umar

While wives fight to retain matrimonial homes, politician Nazlin Umar took it a notch higher when she demanded that her dowry should also be paid before she separates from her husband, billionaire businessman Chatur Mihadarati. Her dowry was a small matter of Sh200 million and a Mercedes Benz.

Raphael Tuju VS Ruth Akinyi

While infidelity involving the female spouses of the high and mighty, politician Raphael Tuju suffered the discomfort of his wife’s philandering becoming fodder for national gossip. When his 27-year-long marriage to  Ruth Akinyi broke down, Tuju, in court papers, offered to pay a monthly maintenance allowance of Sh200,000.

Tuju had expressed fears that if Akinyi is given more money than what he offered, she would use it to "maintain her jobless young man."

The 'jobless young man' in question was the late Tony Ogunda, young GSU officer Tuju accused in a sworn affidavit, for openly having an affair with his wife whom he alleged was 'abusive and violent'.

"Sometime in the year 2011 I learnt that my wife was adulterous and (had) become very abusive and disrespectful to an extent of playing her adulterous life even at the knowledge of my children and workers," said Tuju in court documents.

Within two years after her divorce, The Nairobian smoked out Akinyi selling matumbo in a kibanda along Mombasa Road, a far cry from her previous millionaire lifestyle and her lover was dead and buried.

There also cases where couples who once loved each divorce so bitterly to the extent of never speaking again – or even attending the funeral of whoever dies first.  When 1972 Olympic relay champion Robert Ouko died three weeks ago, his ex-wife, Dr Jennifer Riria when contacted by the Nairobian as to whether she will go bury her ex-husband, retorted, “I divorced that man in 1993.”

Jackson Kibor VS Naomi Jeptoo

While it is rare for old couples to divorce Eldoret based farmer and politician Jackson Kibor raised eyebrows in December 2018 when an Eldoret court allowed him to part ways with Naomi Jeptoo, his third wife of 43 years for, among other things, denying him his conjugal rights. Kibor had divorced his second wife of 51 years, Josphine Jepkoech a year ealier.

 “I’m happy the court has removed this woman from my life. I will now add weight. Life will be good. She even used to pinch me,” said an elated Kibor.

Not a man to learn from his first three failed marriages, Kibor married a brand new wife, 36-year-old Yunita Kibor.

Khadija Abdulnassir Vs Omar Salim

But not all marriages end up with a push and shove over the property. In August 2016, Kadhi’s Court in Mombasa dissolved the marriage of 20-year-old Khadija Abdulnassir and Omar Salim after one month of marriage. After one month of no sex, the young ripe, ready to be plucked and eaten bride went back to her father’s house, claiming she didn’t leave her parents’ home to go and sleep as a brother would sleep with a sister in the same bed. She claimed since their wedding night, a night she was to experience the in-depth glory of marriage, nothing has ever happened ‘down there’ since Salim is impotent. Salim on the other hand, sued Khadija, claiming his wife deserted their home and that he wanted the Sh 50,000 he paid as bride price back.

Khadija attached two medical reports from two doctors showing she was a virgin. One document from Mewa Hospital in Mombasa partly read: “This is to certify that I have examined the above patient and found her virgin.”

 In his reply, Omar denied claims that he was impotent. He explained that a month into his marriage he left his new wife for studies at Kenyatta University. Notwithstanding the two medical reports by Khadija, Omar declared that he had “had sexual intercourse (with her) and he (had) no erectile dysfunction.” He attached his own medical report signed by a Dr Rohit Devani showing he had undergone a comprehensive medical examination and tests had shown he was “medically fit”.

Johnstone Muthama VS Agnes Kavindu

And then there are those who divorce, only to come running into each other’s arms. Former Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthamas divorced Agnes Kavindu in 1983 over irreconcilable issues. So bitter was the fallout that Muthama sent auctioneers to recover the bride price he had paid to Kavindu’s father.

After the divorce, they got a child. But in his defense, the politician denied cohabiting with Kavindu, adding that he only spent a night or two with her before she disappeared, only to hear later that she had given birth.

Eunice Njeri VS rapper Isaac Bukasa

There was also the quickie marriage between Gospel sensation Eunice Njeri and rapper Isaac Bukasa.  Just hours after their grand wedding in the USA, she announced on her social media page that she walked out.

 “On the 27th Nov 2016, Isaac and I did go to the altar to get married, but at the end of that day I realised one thing, I couldn't do it, my heart was somewhere else..."

She probably saved herself and her man a bitter fallout years and children later and the pain and trauma that divorcing couples undergo.  

Wangari Maathai VS Mwangi Mathai

In her autobiography, Unbowed, Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, writes about how painful it was when her husband Mwangi Mathai walked out of their matrimonial home. She came home one day only to be told by the house help that her husband had packed his belongings and left.

"I was stunned. This was real: Mwangi had made a decision to leave me…” she wrote.

 Mwangi had accused her of adultery, of causing his high blood pressure and of being cruel. She, however, revealed that they later made up and became the best of friends and that they would laugh about the silly things they used to over when they were married.

A measure of their friendship was demonstrated when he stepped forward and stood solemnly by her side during her last journey in life.