A woman has moved to court seeking orders to compel Deputy President William Ruto to provide over Sh180,000 monthly maintenance to a child they allegedly sired together in 2006.
The woman who is suing on behalf of her child claims that Ruto has refused to provide for the minor with adequate and basic necessities such as good health, school fees, decent clothing, shelter and medication despite being capable of doing so.
But through his Twitter handle, Ruto told politicians and other busybodies to keep off the case, insisting that he has been catering for his daughter.
“My 11 year old child Abby is well catered for including her education in private boarding school.Politicians& Busybodies should keep off,” Ruto stated on his twitter handle.
Through lawyer Gitobu Imanyara, the mother claims that she met Deputy President William Ruto in 2005 while still a student at Moi University and when Ruto was then Eldoret North MP.
“During our relationship and whenever he was in Eldoret he would invite me to his residence in Eldoret where I would spend the night with him,” she said in an affidavit.
The woman claims that out of their relationship, they were blessed with a daughter in March 2006 and Ruto assumed Parental responsibility for the daughter and the maintenance of both herself and the child.
However, since becoming the Deputy President, he stopped sending them any money or sends only when she threatened to go to court.
She claims that she was forced to move out of the house Ruto was paying for and move into a smaller house in a cheaper estate as she could no longer afford to pay for it.
She is seeking monthly contribution of sh 30,000 for food, sh 80,000 for Shelter, sh35,000 for toiletries, sh 15,000 for house help and sh 20,000 clothing per year.
She further wants the child to be provided with adequate Medical cover and education school fees in a school that reflects upon Ruto’s status as the Deputy President
She also wants a quality vehicle to enable her to pick and drop the minor to school and other places she might need to go.
Additionally she want to be provided with security personnel to protect the minor
It is her argument that since she could no longer afford to pay for the salary and upkeep, the house help she had hired to help her in taking care of the minor abandoned them.
The mother to the 10-year-old child says that she received sh 35000 from a messenger sent by the Deputy President after she sent him a letter on December 2, 2013 threatening to take legal action.
“I sought the advice of my advocates on record who after contacting the Defendant’s advocates advised me to accept the money on a ‘without prejudice’ basis,” she stated.
According to her, she has never received any other form of support from Ruto.
“I am currently struggling to educate the minor single handedly despite the fact that the Defendant, as the Deputy President, is a man of means who is able to provide for his daughter with a decent house, quality education and healthcare, clothes as well food,” she said.
It is her argument that unless Ruto is compelled by the court, to maintain the child, the said Minor will continue being subjected to un-necessary suffering due to lack of the most basic necessities to which she is entitled from her parents.
She says before filing the suit she instructed her lawyers to issue a further notice of intention to institute the proceedings but despite the letter Ruto has persisted in his refusal, neglect and failure to support his daughter and hence the necessity of the suit.