This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
Published on October 26, 2019, a family in Thika is embroiled in a bitter conflict with a Nigerian national, five weeks after their daughter, Andear Mwangi, succumbed to a lung condition.
Andear's mother, Lydia Mwathathi, claims the family's dilemma and anguish started when her second-born daughter moved in with the Nigerian national, Charles Emedo, nine years ago. Emedo had not formally married Andear, which marked the beginning of alienation and strained relations between Andear and her family.
Lydia lamented, 'Hakulipa dowry, that was not a marriage, mtu ni kama amekidnap mtoto na amemuweka mahali hawezi jitoa,' which translates to 'Pay dowry, that was not a marriage, a person has kidnapped a child and kept them in a place where they cannot be released.'
Andear, 35, died last month at the Nairobi South Hospital after battling a short-term lung condition. Emedo appeared at Kilimani police station on Wednesday, prepared to address the accusations against him, but later declined, saying he had been advised by his lawyer not to speak out.
'I went to the office of Nyale, he is the chief staff at Jogoo, they can go wherever they want… they told me not to respond I will blow things for myself,' Emedo said on phone.
A Paybill number registered under David Kimotho, an uncle reported to be close to Emedo, was published to raise money to offset medical bills, but according to Andear's mother, no money has been used to pay the bills. The bill now amounts to Ksh.2 million, with Emedo's defiance further aggravating an already strained relationship.
As the body of Andear Mwangi lies in the morgue for the fifth week now, the two warring factions want the court to pronounce itself on the burial arrangements and the custody of the children.
