Court denies Absentee Father Share in Daughter’s Bride Price

Absentee father

An elderly man who deserted his daughter for 27 years sought to benefit from his daughter’s bride price but suffered a major setback when the court declined to grant his plea for a share in the money.

According to a Senior Resident Magistratein Nakuru, the old man’s marriage to his wife aged  65, was irretrievably broken down and had no chance of being salvaged, and his plea to be given a share of the bride price was not properly made before the court and was dismissed on technicalities.

“The marriage between the petitioner and the respondent celebrated on January 31, 1992, is hereby dissolved. The issue of dowry refund was raised in his submission and, as a consequence, the same must fail,” read the court ruling.

Court documents revealed that the couple got married in 1992 and was blessed with a daughter, whose marriage was the subject of the court case. His wife said she decided to leave her matrimonial home in 1998 after her husband became cruel and denied her conjugal rights since 1994 and acted as if she was not his wife before he later married another woman. After the separation, the old man never bothered about the family nor provided for them.

In hid defense the old man claimed it was his wife who left the matrimonial home and denied him a chance to take care of his children as she cut all communication after moving in with another man who refused to turn up for mediation negotiations, completely locking out the old man from sharing in his daughter’s bride price.