Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Kaluma is embroiled in a fierce court battle with his baby mama over school fees for their 13-year-old daughter.
When the case seeking to compel the legislator to provide child support for his daughter resumed Thursday, March 16, 2023, for hearing, it emerged he was yet to settle school fees arrears amounting to Ksh56, 993 for the daughter.
Lawyer Ochieng from Ochieng and Alogo Company Advocates representing the mother of the minor identified as M. A.O told the court that Kaluma had not given her the money and that the school had directed the girl to clear the arrears when she will be returning from the middle-term break next week on Monday.
“l want to bring to the court’s attention that the minor is back for half term today (March 16, 2023) in the morning and is supposed to return on Monday but the fee is yet to be settled despite the allegations by the defendant (Kaluma) that he has paid fees,” lawyer Ochieng Alogo told the court.
But Kaluma’s lawyer Ms Musanga from P I Samba & Company Advocates denied the allegations claiming that he paid the fees on January 21, 2023. The court heard the MP deposited Ksh56,000 directly to the school towards the annual school fees of the minor.
“On my part l am surprised that the balance of school fees is alleged not to have been paid. If you look at our further affidavit page 7 is a printout of a WhatsApp conversation between the parties and on January 21, 2023, the school fees for the year Ksh56,000 was paid to the minor’s school account. The message was forwarded from Kaluma to the mother who acknowledged receipt,” Musanga told Milimani magistrate Elizabeth Muiru.
The court heard that the MP had reservations about giving the woman the cash money.
“She acknowledged fees were paid to the school account. There were misgivings when money was given to the mother. If the school has demanded the fees, that should be demonstrated so that we can take up with the school for reconciliation of the accounts,” the lawyer added.
However, Lawyer Ochieng demanded to have the MP compelled to produce the alleged bank deposit slip he claims to have made on January 21, 2023, when the schools re-opened for the first term.
Ochieng stated that when the school was contacted it said the money was not in the account.
The court directed the woman to forward to Kaluma’s lawyer the communication from the school demanding the alleged fees arrears.
The woman filed the suit in 2008 claiming that to have cohabited with the MP since 2003 when they got a boy born in 2005 and a girl born in 2007.
The woman alleged that the lawyer-cum-politician got into a relationship with another woman.
In her court papers, she claims that Kaluma has not been paying the minor’s school fees since class six to date despite court orders.
The case will be mentioned on April 27, 2023.
