Kenyan banking magnate Jimnah Mbaru entangled in child support dispute with 24-year-old

Jimnah Mbaru, the banking magnate, is the latest Kenyan businessman to be embroiled in a child support dispute after a 24-year-old woman filed a petition in Nairobi’s Milimani Children’s Court demanding Ksh4.4 million ($36,300) in annual child support from the leading businessman.

The 24-year-old woman, who is seeking more than Ksh320,000 ($2,640) per month in child support from the Kenyan businessman, who celebrated his 75th birthday on July 26, claimed that Mbaru is the father of her child and that legal redress will compel him to provide child support due to his negligence.

Monthly food expenses of Ksh50,000 ($412) are included, as is a similar amount for medical expenses, clothes, and house help. She also demanded Ksh100,000 ($825) for shopping and Ksh20,000 ($165) for other expenses.

Aside from the $2,640 monthly maintenance costs, she requested Ksh600,000 ($4,951) per year in school fees for the minor, as well as an order compelling Mbaru’s name to be included on the child’s birth certificate as his biological father and to obtain actual custody of the minor.

Mbaru decided to delegate his parental responsibilities to an attorney by executing a power of attorney known as a “putative father.” The Kenya Law Society attempted to intervene in the case.

The organization also attempted to argue against the alleged choice made by Mbaru to opt-out of having his name appear on the minor’s birth certificate through Mwaura Kabata. However, the trial magistrate turned down the request.

Mbaru, the chairman of Dyer and Blair Investment Bank, is not only one of the wealthiest investors on the Nairobi Securities Exchange but also one of Kenya’s wealthiest businessmen.

The seasoned investment banker owns a significant 7.72-percent stake in Britam Holdings, an East African financial services and investment group with operations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Mozambique, and Malawi.