Ruiru man kicks out mother-in-law for overstaying Christmas visit

Mothers-in-law are held in high esteem. They are also feared and accorded respect akin to that given to naked electricity wires.

However, such was not the case with one man in Ruiru, Kiambu County.

Fed up with his pesky mother-in-law who had made his life hell on earth by overstaying her Christmas visit, John Indimuli did the unimaginable to kick her out of his house.

At his wits’ end, Indimuli went for a drinking spree, only to stagger home high as a rocket, singing ‘dirty’ songs. With alcohol-induced courage, Indimuli unashamedly scandalised and gave the aging woman a piece of his mind as his wife and their two toddlers watched helplessly. He shouted about how his mother-in-law is such a bore and a pest.

With no shred of modesty, he demanded to know who was taking care of her husband back in the village. At some point Indimuli launched into a tirade in his mother tongue, forgetting his mother-in-law was from another community and wasn’t getting what he was saying.

Christmas festivities

Apparently, the granny has visited Indimuli’s young family sometime in November and stuck around for Christmas festivities and all through the gruelling month of January.

All along, Indimuli put up with her pesky behaviour and particularly her patronizing nature. But the melon that broke the monkey’s back was when she began to micromanage his household.

A neighbour who witnessed the ugly incident said despite Indimuli disgracing himself, he was not remorseful.

“The tirade was uncalled for. This was least expected from a man whose community respects mothers-in-law. We come from same place and mothers-in-law are revered there so much that one is not allowed to hug or shake such a woman’s hand. He claimed he had had enough and he was not going to walk on eggshells in his own house anymore,” said Shikanda, a neigbour.

Shikanda said Indimuli complained that he had overspent his meagre earnings throughout his mother-in-law’s visit, yet she kept piling pressure on him, through his wife, to cater for her other financial needs.

“He complained that his mother-in-law was not considerate and had literally begun managing his household and making him feel like a school boy in his own house. She had also on two occasions made him pay her chama (women’s investment group) contributions,” said Shikanda.

Playing good husband

Shikanda said he did not even enjoy his Christmas festivities because of his mother-in-law’s presence.

“The presence of his wife’s mother made him stop drinking regularly. Even on days he would ordinarily enjoy his tipple till late like over the weekend, Indimuli was forced to hang around the house and play good husband,” said Shikanda.

He added: “Going through December and particularly around Christmas without drinking really angered Indimuli.”

He complained that she had made him live like a chicken, with a self-imposed curfew that forced him to always arrive home very early.

True to form, the embarrassed mother-in-law packed her belongings and left unceremoniously early morning the following day.

Unfortunately for Indimuli, he could be staring at a potential curse, which is if some of the words the aging woman uttered as she left are anything to go by. While expressing her utter disappointment in his son-in-law, she vowed Indimuli will pay for his reckless pronouncement and promised never to visit the family again. It is not known whether Indimuli will face any disciplinary action from his in-laws. However, tension is still very high in the house, with Indimuli’s equally embarrassed wife now sulking. Her next course of action is not clearly known.