Marcella Mukami Kinyugo from Kiru location in Mathioya constituency claims that Peter Kinyugo, her husband of 55 years had abandoned her family since he married a second wife.
The retired teacher accused her husband who is a retired chief of neglecting her family since 1984 when he married Triza Mulinge.
“The problems in our marriage were aggravated 6 years ago when my husband started spending weeks in my co-wife’s home without paying me a visit,” Mukami told the court.
She said when Kirugo married a second wife, he moved her into a house they had converted into a cow pen.
Mukami and Kinyugo have one child while her husband has sired three children with Mulinge.
Senior Resident Magistrate Dennis Kivuti adjourned the hearing after Mukami protested the production of her family photographs and NHIF documents contrary to the laid down procedures.
The magistrate scheduled the case for hearing on January 18 next year to give time to the two parties to exchange their details and documents to allow the suit to proceed.
Her husband had asked the court to allow the case to proceed saying he produced the photographs to remind her of the family activities that both Mukami and her co-wife Mulinge have been actively involved in.
But Mukami’s lawyer Margaret Nyang’ati objected the production of the documents in court saying her husband was ambushing her instead of following the legal procedures.
Mukami who uses a wheel chair was brought to the court from Huruma hospital in Nanyuki where she is admitted.
Nyang’ati told the court that Mukami’s husband previously helped her but eventually withdrew his support even though they live in the same compound.
Mukami filed the petition on December 20 last year seeking to have her husband provide financial maintenance and her marriage terminated.
-Alice Waithera