Man serves 14-day notice to ‘absentee father’

By MICHAEL WESONGA

Eldoret; Kenya A youth in Eldoret has issued a 14 days notice to a farmer he alleges to be his biological father to take his paternal responsibilities or face legal action.

Kelvin Kipchirchir Kruger has demanded that Martin Kruger, a white settler in Uasin Gishu county to take parental responsibility and pay his school fees.

He claims that the white settler utterly forfeited his paternal roles at the expense of his disadvantaged mother.

“We have been instructed by our above named client who is your biological son to write and address you as hereunder:” read a notice by Wilson and Company Advocates in part.

“That our client has been enrolled at the University of Nairobi for a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality and Tourism Management. The first semester shall commence in January 2013. The fees payable for the course is Ksh72, 000 per semester,” the notice went on.

Kipchirchir said his father abandoned his mother Leah Chemtai Kigen around 1987.

The two lived as a couple at Konyit next to Plateau Mission Hospital before Martin moved to Reformed Church Bible School in Uasin Gishu County.

“Following his departure, my mother moved to Nyaru Farm in Keiyo South where we were evicted in 1998 forcing her back to her paternal home at Chepkoilel in Eldoret,” Kipchirchir narrated.

He said his primary school education was partly paid courtesy of missionary sponsorship and free primary education. He, however, said he was on and off at secondary level due to lack of fees.

 

“I failed to sit my final exams in 2010 for lack of fees despite the assistance I got from my uncles until last year when my mother (a casual labourer) secured a loan to pay Sh20,000 fee at a local day school and some balance remains un-cleared to date,” he said.

He added that the mere 0.1 acres of land allocated to her mother is too small and is constantly being contested for by his uncles and thus he has nowhere to call home.

He said: “Efforts to reach my father since 2009 have been futile, his brother who manages Sergoit Farm in Eldoret does not just recognise us but also advised we look for him at Kapsoya.”

“Take notice that if you fail to honour our demand,s we have firm and mandatory instructions to institute legal proceedings against you in a Court of Law at your own peril as to incidental costs without further reference to you on this subject,” the notice cautioned.

He referred to the children’s act No. 8 of 2001 which states that he has legal responsibility as the father to maintain his son by providing school fees failure to which he will be liable for prosecution in a children’s court.