BY TONY MUSISI
A retired senior employee of Moi University is embroiled in a bitter court battle with his former wife over ownership of a matrimonial property valued at Sh4 million.
The former employee, Naboth Ahoya Oindo, used to share the house at the centre of the legal dispute with his ex-wife, Mary Adhiambo Ndire, before their relationship turned sour seven years ago.
Ndire has since obtained an injunction at the Eldoret High Court blocking her eviction from the house by her former husband pending the full hearing and determination of the case.
The disputed property, identified as Langas Block 4/626, is located in Langas Estate along the Eldoret-Kisumu highway in Uasin Gishu County.
In her court papers, Ndire acknowledges that she is the defendant’s former wife and says they have three children together.
She claims to have contributed to the acquisition and development of the property through proceeds from her business and employment.
Ndire told the court that she feared her former husband had hatched a scheme to forcefully evict her from the house and take possession of the property with the intention of selling it.
“I have lived on the suit property since 2003 and I have extensively developed it. It is my only home and I wholly depend on it for my livelihood,” stated Ndire.
The aggrieved woman further claims that Oindo has no legitimate claim over the property because he contributed very little towards its development.
She accuses her former husband of neglecting his responsibilities, claiming that he had not paid land rates for more than 10 years.
But in a swift rejoinder, Oindo dismissed his former wife’s claims as unfounded, insisting that he has a legitimate stake in the disputed property.
He told the court that the house was neither matrimonial property nor held in trust as alleged by Ndire.
Oindo admitted that he married Ndire as his second wife following the death of his first wife 29 years ago. However, he disputed her claim that they had three children together.
“I had only one child with the petitioner and it is not true that we had three children together,” said Oindo.
Oindo further told the court that at the time of their marriage, he was working in the Botany Department at Moi University.
He claimed that his former wife was not engaged in any meaningful business or formal employment at the time, but later secured a job as a messenger-cum-clerk at a car dealership in Eldoret town.
In his statement filed in court, Oindo said he obtained a loan from the Moi University Pension Scheme in 1999, which he used to purchase the land on which the disputed house stands.
“I paid Sh80,000 using my loan and the balance in three instalments was paid using my salary,” said Oindo.
He insisted that he purchased the property single-handedly and that Ndire had no source of income at the time to contribute towards its acquisition.
“It is not true that the petitioner contributed to the purchase and development of the property and it is also not true that the said property is a matrimonial home,” insisted Oindo.
He further challenged Ndire’s claim that she had contributed towards the property, saying she had never paid any amount towards land rates clearance.
“The petitioner has never paid even a single cent in form of rates clearance despite claiming that she contributed to the acquisition of the property, a clear sign that she doesn’t care,” said Oindo.
The matter is slated for hearing before Justice John Chigiti on September 21, 2026.
