Minister seeks custody of minors

• Woman is seeking almost Sh200,000 per month for maintenance.

• Minister parts with Sh100, 000 in cash for food and transport until the case is heard again.

A Cabinet minister wants the court to grant him custody of two children, products of a brief relationship between him and the mother of the minors.

Housing minister Soita Shitanda wants full custody if the mother is not able to provide shelter and accommodation for the minors.

The mother of the 8-year-old twins had gone to court to compel the minister to pay for the maintenance of the two minors. According to her, the MP should take full responsibility for the minors and cater for all their expenses.

As a result, she is seeking almost Sh200,000 per month for maintenance. The amount includes monthly rent and food expenses of Sh35, 000 and Sh20, 000 respectively.

She also wants the MP to pay Sh4, 000 and Sh10, 000 for house help and entertainment respectively.

The minister does not deny paternal responsibilities and confirmed to the court in his defence that he is the father to the kids. He, however, says that the mother of the children was out to exploit him.

“Her demands do not consider shared parental responsibility and merely seeks to exploit my status in society,” said the minister.

He said that if the mother cannot sustain the children’s needs then he should be given full custody.

But the mother of the minors says the minister and her were in a relationship since 1997 but accuses the minister of dodging responsibility and providing for the twins on and off. She said she is now jobless and could not afford accommodation and other expenses for the children.

Mr Shitanda told the court that he was an ordinary Kenyan, earning a salary of Sh200,000 and that his other children lead normal lives which is what the two should also live.

However the minister gave Sh100, 000 in cash for food and transport until the case is heard again.

In response to the amount sought by the kids’ mother for accommodation, Mr Shitanda said he could only afford accommodation worth Sh20, 000 per month.

He said the children should live normal lives and attend public schools. He also told the courts that he will only pay accommodation for the remaining two months of this school term and wants the children enrolled in a public boarding school.

He wants the responsibility of the maintenance shared equally between him and the mother unless the court grants him full custody.

The minister had to stay longer at the children’s court as he sought refuge from the press but when he eventually came out all he could say was, “I am a father, I am here for the children, and I want custody of my children.”  He said.

The case proceeds on November 22.