• She says she will pay her last respects to her deceased father-in-law.
• Lawyer says Kitany has an obligation to attend as those she will condole with are people she cooked for, worked for and assisted — her relatives and blood.
The war pitting Meru Senator Mithika Linturi against his estranged wife Marriane Kitany has now moved to the funeral of the legislator's father.
This is after Kitany said she will attend the burial in Igembe, Meru, today. She said the deceased was her father-in-law.
The two former lovebirds are in the middle an ugly divorce case in which Kitany seeks to prove she was married to the senator while he insists they were never married and she was only a visitor, not a wife. The divorce case has played out in the media for the past few weeks, with both parties trading accusations.
Linturi’s father died two weeks ago when Kitany was still giving her evidence in court about their broken marriage. At the time, Linturi’s lawyer Muthomi Thiankolu told the court his client's father died because of shock after finding out that his house had been built by a woman, yet he was a member of the Njuri Ncheke.
However, through her lawyer Dastan Omari, she said she will go to bury her father-in-law according to the African tradition.
“The burial of my client’s father in law is tomorrow and I do confirm that my client will attend the funeral. We have done all arrangements to attend and give the late Linturi the respect he deserves as a father-in-law,” Omari said.
Addressing the media outside the Milimani law courts, Omari said he will accompany Kitany to Meru, alongside her relatives from Nandi and Kericho.
“It is the honour and respect of a deceased father-in-law. She has a moral, cultural, legal and philosophical basis to attend the funeral,” he added.
Asked if this will cause drama considering the two are estranged, he said whoever will want to cause drama will not be from their side. They respect senior Linturi and just want to pay their final respects in an African manner, Omari added.
He argued that Kitany has an obligation to attend and those she will condole with are people she cooked for, worked and assisted — her relatives and blood.
"We do not expect any problems in any way. The laws of this country are still in force, the security apparatus has not gone on holiday, they will be in charge. It’s a function like any other," he said.
Omari claimed that no one is invited to a funeral according to African culture since it’s a public function and anyone can go.