A former Presidential escort unit officer dragged into a vicious legal battle!
Former Presidential escort unit officer Stephen Kipkering Sugut,at the Eldoret High Court/Photo James Gitaka
A former Presidential escort unit officer to the late President Daniel
Moi has been dragged into a vicious legal battle with his estranged
wife who has filed for divorce citing mental anguish and desertion.
In documents filed before Eldoret high court, Leah Chepchumba Sugut
wants the court to dissolve her marriage to Stephen Kipkering Sugut,
accusing him of adultery, cruelty and also neglecting his family.
She says that they had been happily married until 2006 when her
husband started exhibiting explicable hostility towards her and the
children forcing her to leave her matrimonial home.
The feuding couple are blessed with seven adult children among them
four boys and three girls.
Sugut is represented by lawyer Tecla Tum while M/s Onyinkwa and
company is representing his wife, Leah Chepchumba Sugut.
Chepchumba, in her court documents, further averred that since the
celebration of their marriage, her husband frequently committed
adultery with many women, one of who is well known to her.
“He has been seen in the company of several women in compromising
situations and he has admitted to me that he committed adultery,”
Chepchumba said.
She claimed that her husband was a man of ungovernable temper,
arrogant and contemptuous, who has constantly abused, nagged,
irritated and beatenher.
In her petition, Chepchumba cited an incident in 2007, when her
husband faked a false attack at himself alleging that he had been
attacked and shot by people hired by her and the children.
“But investigations by police officers based at Moi’s Bridge police
station showed that the incident had been faked since the shot had
been fired by himself from his own firearm and his allegations were
only intended to tarnish my name and that of the children,” she said.
The ex-president Moi’s escort officer, Chepchumba claimed, had
assaulted her several times, causing her bodily harm adding that he
has stopped all financial support for her and the children.
She told the Presiding Judge Reuben Nyakundi that there have been
irreconcilable differences between herself and her estranged husband
noting that there is no real chance of reconciliation or resumption of
cohabitation between them.
In her prayers, she urged the court to dissolve their marriage and,
besides, to direct her estranged husband to continue to provide for
her maintenance.
But his defence, Sugut denied the allegations saying that he had been
meeting all his obligations.
Sugut who served in the security escort of the late President Moi
during his 24-year rein in power, claimed that he is actually the one
who has suffered hardship, torture and mental anguish as a result of
neglect from his estranged wife.
Sugut, who has been confined to a wheelchair due to ill health, denied
allegations leveled against him by his wife to the effect that he has
been cruel, arrogant and adulterous to an extent of denying her
conjugal rights.
He instead accused his estranged wife of nagging, abusing and coarsing
him with the sole intention of taking over his multi-million shilling
property.
Sugut claimed that he has never deserted his wife and that she is the
one who deserted him and besides, denied him a chance to be with his
children who are in the US and care for them.
“It is actually my wife who has even denied me my conjugal rights and
refused to honor her mental responsibility because I was extremely
sick and bedridden which resulted in being confined to a wheelchair,”
averred Sugut.
“She has never bothered to check and even offered to take care of me
during good and bad times and in sickness and health. I am a
registered person with a disability,” added Sugut.
The Judge directed both parties to provide their written submissions
before he gives a ruling date.
The case will be mentioned on May 29th.
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