BY PRUDENCE WANZA – Mithika Linturi paid Sh.100,000 for dowry in a marriage ceremony with Maryanne Kaitany which was conducted under the Nandi and Meru customary laws.
This was according to Maryanne Kaitany who testified in court before Chief Magistrate Peter Ngare in a divorce against the Meru Senetor.
Kaitany who is being represented by lawyer Danstan Omari, told the court that they met when she was working at the Deputy President’s office as the chief of Staff. According to Kaitany the two started their courtship.
She told the court that when she was still working at DPs office and Linturi in Parliament as MP when her name was among those investigated with corruption and had to step aside.
At this time Linturi was living in her house in Kileleshwa and when Kaitany’s name was being investigated by EACC Linturi gave her shoulder to lean on in terms of moral support. Her name got cleared in mid 2016 when they were still in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.
Kaitany stated that Linturi encouraged her not to go back to work in the government and offered her to work in his company ,Atticon Limited as the CEO.
She worked in Atticon limited for three years and pumped in around sh.6.8m in the business. Kaitany exited the company in August, 2018.
Kaitany told the court how their customary marriage was performed in presence of Kaitany’s family and elders from Meru who represented Linturi’s parents who did not attend the ceremony.
According to Kaitany Linturi paid dowry of Sh. 100,000 and gifts of food stuffs.During the ceremony he also gifted Kaitany’s mother a Nissan Xtrail.
She also claimed to have paid about Sh.26m for the renovation of Linturi’s house in Meru so that it could accomodate all their children.”I did not mind because I knew it was for the family,”said Kaitany. She added that they also decided to buy a property in Runda,Nairobi so they could have a spacious house here in the city.
Kaitany said that she married Mithika Linturi because he proved he was divorced. “I performed motherly duties to my 3 children and his 3children who even referred to me as MUM,I also performed my duties as a wife,” said Kaitany.
“Linturi gave me divorce documents claiming that he was divorcing his wife but later I learnt that he was still married.” She told the court that when she filed a divorce petition in Meru Linturi allegedly told her that she could not divorce her as he was still married.
This prompted Kaitany to go the DCI forensic department for verification of the signatures in the divorce papers which proved it was indeed the signatures of Mithika Linturi.
38 witnesses are set to testify in the matter which is before Chief Magistrate Peter Gisore, in a bid to prove that indeed they were married under the law.
The case will proceed on 2nd September.
The case will proceed on 2nd September.
