Negligent father fined K2, 000 maintenance fee
Written by Millennium on April 13, 2019
MUTINTA MULAYE writes
SENIOR Boma Local Court Magistrate Gaston Kalala has ordered a negligent man of Chelstone to maintain his four children with a monthly contribution of K2, 000.
This was a case in which Doreen Kalenga of Garden House took the father of her children Keith Malaka to court for failing to support them.
Kalenga said she knew Malaka in 2004 and got pregnant by him in 2007 with their first child.
“My parents called him and his family and when he was asked what would follow, he promised to marry me. I started staying with him in Mtendere but because he’s a bus driver and always busy, he was rarely home. I decided to move in with my sister since I was almost due,” said Kalenga
Later Kalenga found another job and moved to another house and when she wanted to stay with him, he told her he was taking care of his sick father so she could not move in.
“One time when I went there I found out he had married someone else. Another time I visited I found a different woman who he had married. He has never bought anything for all the 4 children I have with him,” Kalenga said
She further told the court that just for her to get any money out of Malaka, she had to go through a lot of issues.
She also said that the most money she managed to get out of him for the children was K250.
“After I bought this man 2 buses, he’s barely spent anything on me and my children. K5, 000 is supposed to be coming in from the buses but I do not see where the money goes. He just used me and went to marry elsewhere,” said Kalenga.
In his defence, Malaka told the court that he was not sure they were his children because Kalenga changed their surnames.
“What hurt me is that they are not using my last name. How are they supposed to know my other children if they are not bearing my name? Now that she has brought me to court I have believed that they are my children,” said Malaka.
The court found that Malaka to have behaved irresponsibly as a man and ordered him to maintain his children with K2, 000 monthly.
