This archive report was first published on 11 December 2019.
A 72-year-old man from Nakuru has been dealt a significant blow in his bid to receive his daughter's dowry after a court dissolved his marriage due to his prolonged absence from the family.
Joel Lagat Maina had demanded 30 bags of maize, six cows, and KSh15, 000 as his daughter's bride price, but his wife, Joyce Chemutai, had other plans.
Chemutai, who filed a case in October 2018, sought to block Lagat from demanding a share of the bride price, citing his cruel and violent behavior towards her.
She claimed that she had never lived in peace and was forced to flee to her parents' house in 1998 after her husband became cruel and denied her conjugal rights since 1994.
According to Chemutai, Lagat later married another woman and never bothered about the family or provided for them.
Senior Resident Magistrate Yvone Khatambi ruled that Lagat's marriage to Chemutai, which was celebrated on January 31, 1992, was irretrievably broken down.
"The marriage between the petitioner and the respondent celebrated on January 31, 1992, is hereby dissolved," Khatambi ruled.
The court also dismissed Lagat's plea for a share of the bride price on technical grounds.
