Political activist and Borabu parliamentary aspirant Morara Kebaso has been drawn into a public family dispute after his estranged wife, Mercy Makini, broke her silence on their separation and accused him of being detached from their children.
The dispute erupted on Friday after Kebaso addressed growing speculation about the state of his marriage and his relationship with another woman identified as Pauline.
Kebaso said he had initially chosen not to discuss his family publicly but felt compelled to respond after what he described as misinformation began circulating online.
He acknowledged Mercy as the mother of their three children and asked the public to accord her respect, while urging Kenyans to allow families to handle their private affairs according to their own values.
“Every home and family has its own way of doing things. Your values are not our values. Your choices are not our choices,” he said.
However, Mercy responded shortly afterwards, saying she had deliberately kept the family’s problems private for about six months.
She said she decided to speak after Kebaso brought the matter to social media, questioning his decision to publicly discuss their children.
‘“For the past six months, I have chosen to be the bigger person and keep this matter private out of respect for everyone involved. However, since you have decided to bring it to social media and put it in my face, then let’s address it openly,” Mercy said.
Mercy also challenged Kebaso’s portrayal of himself as a present father, questioning how involved he had been in the children’s day-to-day lives during the six months she says they had been separated.
The dispute then escalated as Kebaso issued a lengthy response defending his record as a father.
According to reports quoting his response, Kebaso said he had attended every parents’ meeting at Rophine School since their children enrolled there, claiming he sometimes travelled about 400 kilometres overnight to be present at school the following morning. He also recalled caring for their youngest child, Zainah, when she was a baby.
Dispute over school fees
Kebaso also introduced a financial and education dispute involving their children.
He claimed that while he was away in China, Mercy moved two of their children from Rophine School to an international school without his consent.
Kebaso said he had previously been paying about Sh120,000 per term, but that the cost at the new school, including related expenses, had risen to approximately Sh1 million per term.
He reportedly objected to the transfer, saying he preferred his children to attend ordinary Kenyan schools and grow up with what he described as African values.
Kebaso further claimed that the disagreement over the children’s schooling had ended up in court after he was served with legal papers.
