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A woman claims a Catholic priest has neglected a baby girl he fathered during their three-year marriage. Janet Nyokabi Munenge says Fr Peter Mwaura seduced her without revealing to her that he was a priest. They reportedly met in August 2004 at a time she was running a pub in downtown Nairobi. “He was introduced to me by another Catholic priest whom I knew when I wanted to buy a lorry for my business,” recalls Nyokabi. He adds that Fr Mwaura told her he worked in the USA. He spent his holidays at her home in Kasarani.
The two got a baby girl - an allegation Fr Mwaura denies - and whom he supported financially, according to Nyokabi. “He stopped supporting me towards the end of 2013. When he visited me I went through his briefcase and found a Catholic Church magazine. It is then that I discovered he was the presiding priest of a church in Wyoming, in USA. I confronted him and he just walked out of the door and never came back,” says Nyokabi, adding that, “The baby is his, and I am ready for a DNA test anytime.”
Nyokabi says that: “I didn’t go out of my way to look for a priest; he is the one who seduced me. And he lied to me. He never told me he was a priest and when I confronted him, he stopped taking responsibility for the baby. I now expect to his seniors in the church walk to the talk and ensure my daughter is provided for. Why should they preach if they don’t practice and believe what they preach?”
Nyokabi says they were so tight as a ‘family’ and that Fr Mwaura even helped secure a US nursing school scholarship for her first-born daughter. “You have been accepted to Gannon University and into the nursing programme for the spring of 2014 Semester. Classes begin on January 13, 2014,” reads a letter from the university.
A letter allegedly written by the priest to the US Embassy, for the purposes of getting a visa for Nyokabi’s daughter, reads in part: “I am writing this letter to confirm that I have agreed to take care of the financial responsibilities of school fees, medical insurance and other needs as she prepares to start her study in a nursing programme.” The letter further adds that Mwaura is permanently employed “as pastor of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, and I will be able to sustain her financial needs. I have attached my bank statement; account number is 91050*****68 as proof of my financial status.”
The letter is dated November 24, 2013 and is written on Church of Our Lady Of Peace letterhead.
Nyokabi claims she was advised that the Catholic Church in Kenya cannot take any action since Fr Mwaura is not within their jurisdiction. On October 8, 2015, Nyokabi wrote an email to Cheyenne Diocese Bishop Paul Etienne, under whose jurisdiction Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church is. In the letter, she writes, “Father Peter James Mwaura sired a baby girl with me and after I came to know that he was a priest, I confronted him and he disappeared and neglected his responsibilities of upkeep and maintenance.”
The letter was copied to Apostolic Nunciature in Kenya, Kenya Episcopal Conference, Catholic Justice and Peace Commission and Arch Bishop John Cardinal Njue, all of whom reportedly stamped the letter to acknowledge receipt.
On October 26, 2015, Cheyenne Diocese head, Bishop Paul Etienne wrote back to Nyokabi saying: “I am sorry for the circumstances that you are in and hope that things will improve for you in the future. I must inform you however that the Diocese of Cheyenne has no legal responsibility for actions and activities of Father James Mwaura when he is on personal leave outside the Diocese and outside the United States.
“Bishop Etienne further wrote that Fr Mwaura had strongly denied that he fathered a baby with Nyokabi. “Ultimately however, as stated above, the issue of your relationship, if any, with Father Mwaura is between you and him,” concluded the bishop. Nyokabi says all she wants is support from her daughter’s father.
The Nairobian wrote to the Director of the Bishop, Pastoral Ministries, Judicial Vicar and Chancellor of the Diocese of Cheyenne about the issue but didn’t receive a reply. But in an email interview with The Nairobian, Fr Mwaura denied allegations that he fathered Nyokabi’s child. “Everything she says isn’t true. My lawyer is working on it and will write to her as soon as possible for paternity test (DNA) if she is willing and I am ready because we want the truth and facts to come out before taking the next step.”
