I was promised Sh1 million to lie: Woman in Sonko child support suit says
Former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko.
A woman, who sued former Nairobi governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko over child support alleging that he had neglected his parental responsibility of taking care of their 15-year-old daughter, has withdrawn the suit.
The woman told the children’s court in Ngong that the allegations were false and that she had been hired to do the same. She says she had been promised Sh1 million to lie about the politician and file the case in court.
In her court papers, the woman narrates that she was approached by two women from Mombasa county who promised her the amount in a bid to taint Mr Sonko’s name. She was paid a sum of Sh240,000 in the first instant.
“I was approached by two ladies from Mombasa county who promised me a sum ofSh1 million to trash the name of Mr Sonko who was then seeking nomination to contest for the position of governor Mombasa county by filing this instant suit,” says the woman.
“I confirm having been paid Sh240,000 in cash by the said two ladies,” she adds.
On why she withdrew the suit, she says the decision was after a ‘soul-searching’.
“I have since searched my soul on the matter, considered the suit against Mr Sonko and I now wish to unconditionally withdraw the suit and further wish to extend my unreserved apologies to Mr Sonko and the court,” she states.
She filed the case in May 2022 alleging that Mr Sonko had neglected his parental responsibilities by failing to offer financial support for the needs of the minor, allegations that the politician had denied.
The woman alleged that the minor had dropped out of school over lack of fees and with fees arrears amounting to Sh37,000.
She wanted court to compel Mr Sonko to pay her a monthly upkeep of Sh448,450, being support for the minor to cater for food and shopping, rent, security, clothing, house help, entertainment, medical cover, education, transport and utilities.
She also wanted Mr Sonko compelled to pay school fees of Sh86,000 and another Sh30,450 to cater for school related expenses and uniform, provide medical cover and upkeep for the minor.
In addition, she sought orders compelling Mr Sonko to clear the outstanding school fees balance of Sh37,000.
The woman said the minor was a form two student and had not reported back to school since the schools reopened on April 26, 2022.
She said Mr Sonko had failed and neglected to provide for the child’s basic necessities such as education, good health, food, clothing, shelter, entertainment and medication.
“Mr Sonko and I are the biological parents of the minor,” said the woman whose identity we have withheld for the minor’s dignity.
In the court papers she described Mr Sonko as a person of means and that the minor was entitled to equal treatment and provision like his other children.
“The unequal treatment has affected the minor psychologically as she does not understand why her father is abrasive towards her. Besides, the minor has been bullied and ridiculed in school because of her surname thus causing her emotional trauma and has indicated she wants to be transferred from the school,” said the woman.
She stated that she met Mr Sonko in 1999 and entered into a relationship which shortly turned into a romantic one. The relationship was on and off and out of it they got the child on April 17, 2007.
The woman argued that she and Mr Sonko had equal parental responsibility over the said minor and an obligation to maintain the child.
“Mr Sonko has always been defiant and brazen to accept responsibility and assist me with the maintenance of the minor. He has over the years willfully withdrawn support towards the maintenance of the minor thus denying her what is rightfully hers forcing me to take full responsibility for the minor,” she said.
She alleged that that she held a meeting with Mr Sonko in early 2018 at Maanzoni and he gave her Sh100,000 for the minor’s school fees and rent. Further that when the woman’s mother died in December 2018, he offered financial support to her family.
Since she was unemployed, she said it had become extremely hard to raise the school fees on her own given the harsh economic times in the country.
“The Respondent is a politician and high-ranking businessman within the republic who lives a high-end life and is not willing to offer the minor the same kind of life while offering a high-end life to his other children, which is a clear indication of discrimination on his part,” reads the court papers.
She stated that although he knew he was the biological father of the child, he did not want anything to do with the minor.
“I have always been willing to have a DNA test done to prove the paternity of the minor, a fact which Sonko is well aware of as we have discussed the same on several occasions,” she said in her sworn affidavit.
