Principal Secretary for Labour and Social Protection Nelson Marwa Sospeter has been ordered to undergo a DNA test in a case he has been sued for child neglect.
A 27-year-old woman went to court in Kitale seeking child support from Mr Marwa, and accusing him for negligence.
She claims Marwa is the biological father of her one-year-old daughter.
She further alleges that Marwa deliberately refused, ignored and neglected to discharge his parental responsibilities.
The woman claims that when the child was born, Marwa settled the hospital bill of Sh50,000.
She claims she had an intimate relationship with the PS that started in January 2017.
She says she was residing in Mombasa when she met the PS, who was by then the coast Regional Coordinator.
The relationship, she claims, resulted in a baby girl, who was born on February 7, last year.
Basic needs
"I have singlehandedly struggled to maintain the minor, albeit with a lot of difficulty. Due to economic hardships, I am unable to continue providing her with other basic needs," she said in an affidavit presented in court.
She also accuses Marwa of declining to provide his identity card for the purposes of issuance of a birth certificate for the child.
In a sworn affidavit, the PS has, however, denied the allegations, saying the entire suit filed by the woman was legally defective.
Marwa states that the woman is a stranger to him, and that he is not conversant with the allegations she has filed in court.
He said that while serving as Coast Regional Commissioner until last year, he dealt with many members of the public and Government officials and that such meetings were purely official, not intimate.
He also denies settling any Sh50,000 hospital bill at the child's birth.
"I am not aware of the allegations and I confirm that at no time have I ever financially, socially, even psychologically supported either the plaintiff or the alleged child," he said.
Samples tested
Kitale Senior Resident Magistrate Cherono Moureen Kesse issued an order that both parties present themselves within 14 days for collection of samples for DNA at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital "where the DNA samples shall be tested and report filed in court within one month from the date hereof".
The matter will be mentioned on April 23.
