This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
Former chief of staff at Deputy President William Ruto's office Maryanne Kitany has been at the center of a high-profile divorce case against Meru Senator Mithika Linturi. In a recent court appearance, Ms. Kitany revealed that she was already a millionaire when she got engaged to Mr. Linturi.
Ms. Kitany testified that she was residing in Kileleshwa, while Mr. Linturi was renting a house on Ngong Road. However, it was Mr. Linturi who eventually moved in with her, after spending some nights at her residence.
According to Ms. Kitany, their relationship began in 2014, when she allegedly received an assignment from Dr. Ruto. It was during this time that Mr. Linturi had filed a motion to impeach then CS Anne Waiguru, but the Jubilee government decided not to table the motion, and Mr. Linturi was instructed not to attend.
Ms. Kitany claimed that she and Mr. Linturi first got intimate during a dinner in Naivasha, where she introduced him to her siblings. She stated, 'He did not show up in Parliament because I went with him to Naivasha. That was when our relationship started. I introduced him to my siblings during dinner. From then, our love blossomed.'
Before their relationship began, Ms. Kitany revealed that Mr. Linturi was a frequent visitor at DP Ruto's office at Harambee Annex, where she worked as the Chief of Staff.
Ms. Kitany also testified that she had built a successful business empire before meeting Mr. Linturi. She stated that she bought her first house after completing her secondary school education at Alliance Girls High School, and later sold it to make a profit of about Sh600,000. She used the money to buy a shop and supply goods to fellow students at Kenyatta University, where she was studying.
Mr. Linturi had disputed marrying Ms. Kitany and would be calling two witnesses to support his claims. He said he was legally married to Ms. Mercy Kaimenyi at the time Ms. Kitany claims they were in a relationship. The hearing continues.
