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A man in Mombasa shocked a children’s court after he tried to ‘steal’ his two daughters just before their custody case was heard.
The accused, Derick Simiyu, accompanied by his lawyer and kin, allegedly forcefully grabbed his two daughters who were accompanied by their aunts and grandmother.
The girls’ aunt claimed she had denied Simiyu custody of his children because he had failed to pay Sh300,000 bride price for his deceased wife. The aunt claimed that Simiyu and his deceased wife lived together for 10 years. The mid-morning drama brought court proceedings to a halt as the women screamed for help.
The court directed the two children be put under state custody at Makupa Children’s Home until it rules on the custody. Simiyu’s lawyer was forced to run for dear life after angry relatives descended on him, claiming he was helping Simiyu to steal the children.
According to Simiyu, his in-laws wanted him to pay Sh300,000 bride price to be allowed to bury his wife in his ancestral home in Western.
He however claimed he had spent all his resources treating his wife who was ailing from cancer, and was not in a position to pay the said amount.
“I have lost my wife to illness, and I cannot lose my daughters too. I was a man with a family, and now I have none,” said Simiyu.
According to Simiyu, he only allowed his in-laws to bury his wife at her home in Taita-Taveta because they were insisting on bride price payment.
When The Nairobian spoke to Rose Maganga, the sister to Simiyu’s late wife, she said: “Simiyu never footed any medical bill. He said he was not going to waste money on a disease that could not be cured. We decided to treat our sister, but she eventually succumbed to the illness.”
About the bride price Maganga said: “We suggested the issue of dowry because according Taita traditions, if a man is to bury his wife in their ancestral home, he is supposed to pay bride price but it was not mandatory. Simiyu however left and never returned to us until our sister was buried.”
