Linturi-Kitany divorce: Here are all the ‘puzzling’ claims made in court

By Sheila Mutua and Lenox Sengre.

The Mithika Linturi-Marianne Kitany divorce case heard at the Milimani Law Courts on Wednesday, August 28, had every characteristic of a juicy, high-octane and intriguing gossip.

When a section of social media users read on our website that Ms Kitany claimed she found porn videos and nude pictures of other women on Mr Linturi’s phone, they [online users] said Ms Kitany was now revealing “too much information about her private life”.

Some said the divorce unfoldings contained the elements of what Bungoma Senator, Moses Wetangula, described as “noisy and messy”, when he announced his plan to ditch NASA in March, 2018.

–Unfaithful–

Marianne Kitany alleged that Meru Senator Mithika Linturi was unfaithful, prompting her to file a divorce application in court.

Ms Kitany said one day she peeped at her husband’s phone and “found a woman had sent him a pornographic video and nude pictures”.

That discovery, on top of being denied her conjugal rights, drove Ms Kitany into filing for a formal separation from the former Igembe South MP, the plaintiff said.

“I filed for divorce because Linturi was cheating on me,” Ms Kitany told the court, adding: “He slept with other women in town.”

“Linturi would come home late, and did not want to give me my conjugal rights,” said Ms Kitany.

–Mysterious death–

Ms Kitany said so unfaithful was Mr Linturi that their house-help in Meru knew about his philandering activities, “given he would bring other women to our matrimonial home”.

“The maid said she wanted to meet and tell me about my husband’s cheating behaviour. Unfortunately, the house-help died mysteriously before I could meet her,” Ms Kitany told the court.

“However, prior to her death, she had told me — on phone — how Linturi was entertaining different women in our house,” said Ms Kitany, requesting to reveal more information away from the media.

–Property row–

The complainant also alleged that Mr Linturi found her, when she was already wealthy-enough. According to Ms Kitany, the ex-Igembe South legislator is attempting to forcefully take control of her multi-million-shilling empire.

Ms Kitany said in court that Mr Linturi shortchanged her, going ahead to inscribe his name on the documents bearing her property. Ms Kitany further alleged that Mr Linturi later claimed she was attempting to steal his company.

“Linturi threatened he would kill me,” said Ms Kitany, adding: “He even reported to police that I wanted to steal his property.”

–Death threats, murder attempt–

Ms Kitany told the court that their fight over property got so messy to the extent the senator “attempted to kill her”.

The plaintiff told the court that the senator sent a woman to befriend her and, after she (Kitany) would have trusted her enough, she (friend) poisons Ms Kitany. The complainant told the court that the woman in the murder plot later confessed to her.

Ms Kitany further claimed that when the attempted murder plot aborted, Mr Linturi resorted to threats on her life.

“Your honour, my husband sent me threat messages, prompting me to seek protection from the courts,” she said.

–Goons, pangas, machetes–

The threats, Ms Kitany said, arose from the protracted property row that came to a head in December 2018.

Ms Kitany told the court that on December 19, 2018, Mr Linturi attempted to evict her from their Runda home. The court would later bar Mr Linturi from ejecting his wife from the contested property until their divorce case was heard and determined.

Ms Kitany told the court that Mr Linturi hired goons, who arrived at their Runda home in a 52-seater bus, and asked Ms Kitany and her three children to ship out.

“On the night of December 19, 2018, my son was slapped by the goons. I, thereafter, told my children to go put up at my relatives’ place in Nairobi. The goons came to my house carrying at least 9 pangas and 9 machetes, which were found in our Runda home the next day. Later, a lady came to my house and alleged that she had been hired to poison me,” said Ms Kitany.

The plaintiff further alleged that she is married to a violent man, “who beat me up once when we were in Meru”.

–Strange method of conflict resolution–

Ms Kitany said every other time a domestic dispute would arise between Mr Linturi and her, the senator “often ran out of home and slept in lodgings. There was a day I found him hiding in a guest room on Riverside Drive,” said Ms Kitany.

The divorce hearing continues Monday next week (September 2), with Mr Linturi expected to give his side of the story.