This archive report was first published on 22 August 2019.
Published on August 22, 2019, a day when the spotlight shone brightly on Kenya's high-profile divorces.
From the tumultuous marriage of Meru Senator Mithika Linturi and his wife Marianne Kitany, who are currently embroiled in an acrimonious divorce, to the long line of rich and powerful couples whose marriages came to a public end, we take a look at five such high-profile divorces that dominated headlines.
One such case was that of Jackson Kibor, the 86-year-old controversial farmer-cum-politician, who was granted a divorce from his third wife, Naomi Jeptoo, after a 43-year marriage. Eldoret Principal Magistrate Naomy Wairimu ruled that the couple's marriage was 'irretrievable.'
Another notable case was that of Willy Mutunga, the former Chief Justice, who filed for a divorce from his ex-wife, Prof Beverle Michele Lax, in 2009, accusing her of cruelty. Prof Lax, however, accused him of denying her conjugal rights and demanded payment of Sh150,000 a month in maintenance.
Phillip Moi, the son of former President Daniel arap Moi, was ordered to pay his ex-wife, Rossana Pluda, in excess of Sh250,000 a month for maintenance, as well as Sh7 million lump sum, following their separation. Ms Pluda presented evidence that her ex-husband could not have been broke, given his lavish spending habits, including the purchase of a Sh750,000 television and a Sh300,000 hot tub.
Former Sports, Culture and Arts CS Hassan Wario was also in the spotlight in 2016, when his ex-wife, Kaltum Dima Guyo, moved to court claiming that he had not honoured his end of the bargain following their divorce in the UK on May 5, 2012. Ms Dima sought an order directing Mr Wario to make monthly maintenance payments of Sh400,000, among other expenses.
Lastly, Mike Njeru, the owner of Transcend Media Group, was in a divorce battle in 2014 with his wife, Anne Evelyn Wambui, after a 21-year marriage and three children. Ms Wambui accused him of battering her and locking her out of their matrimonial home in Lavington, citing assault and infidelity as reasons for the divorce.
