Sister sues siblings for neglecting their old, ailing mother

A Nakuru woman has sued her brother and sister-in-law for blocking the family from accessing their ailing 92-year-old mother in need of medical treatment and care.

Grace Njenga accused her brother Charles Itangi and his wife Josephine Gathoni of neglecting their mother Peninah Wamucii.

She sought orders before Justice Heston Nyaga to compel the couple to allow their mother access to treatment, hire a qualified caretaker, and have a guardian appointed to handle her.

She alleged that the couple had neglected their mother and blocked the family from accessing her.

“In July 2024, the couple moved our mother to their home with an ulterior motive of denying medical treatment that she was aged and didn’t need to continue with medical treatment and medication,” she alleged.

She accused her brother of denying their aged mother to seek medical treatment and attention.

Njenga claimed that the couple locked their mother in a room and sometimes starved her.

The woman told the court that her brother and wife had subjected their mother to dehumanizing conditions and continuous denial of medical treatment and attention has deteriorated her health.

The court heard that Wamucii’s physiotherapist cannot attend to her which has greatly affected her well-being.

“My family members and mother’s doctor have been blocked from accessing our mother for medical treatment and check-ups, making it difficult to know what is happening to her,” Njenga said.

The court ordered the couple to allow Njenga to accompany the mother to the hospital for treatment within 10 days.

Nyaga further directed for a medical report to be filed in court within 14 days.

The case will be mentioned on October 7, for further directions.