'MHESHIMIWA' ACCUSES WIFE OF PULLING HIS ‘FUNDAMENDOS’

Lamu West MP denies assaulting and chasing his wife and in turn accuses her of being a lazy, spendthrift and a violent wife. Lawmaker Julius Ndegwa, who is embroiled in a bitter tussle with his estranged wife, Wanjiku, says if ordered to choose between death or living with her, he would choose death. In a phone interview with The Nairobian, Ndegwa said, “We men don’t go announcing our troubles to the world, but for the past 15 years, my life has been hell, right from the second year of our marriage. Continuing to live with Wanjiku would mean dying of stress. I even became addicted to sleeping pills because I couldn’t sleep due to stress,” the legislator said. Troubled marriage Wanjiku had earlier approached The Nairobian accusing her husband of beating her and failing to support her financially. “He refuses to give me enough money, yet I am his customarily wedded wife. I wonder what type of man he is. I wonder why he is afraid to face me; he doesn’t even want to meet me. He has really made and my children to suffer,” alleged Wanjiku, adding that she had no job and no place to live since her hubby ordered her to “pack and leave”. But Ndegwa refutes these claims, saying he never chased her away and that she walked out on her own volition on December 14. Contrary to her allegations, he adds, he not only stays with his children but gives a social worker Sh20,000 to pass on to Wanjiku weekly. The legislator also says he tried setting up businesses for Wanjiku but she is spendthrift. “The last time I tried involving her in my business, she incurred a debt of Sh10 million. I have opened countless businesses for her, but she can’t manage anything. She lives alone right now but can’t stay with a house help for three days. “For 15 years, she refused to work, and I have spoilt her rotten. I thought that’s the way to treat a woman. I thought she would change and respect me as her husband, but she has refused to heed the advice that even her uncles gave her. Tumeshakaa na wazee mara kadhaa, she listens and says she will change but she doesn’t,” says the MP. Blame game Wanjiku claims that the MP left her to shack up with another woman: “After being with him through thick and thin, he left me for another woman. Is that fair?” poses Wanjiku. But the MP says he decided enough was enough and found someone who respects and takes care of him after what he terms a “miserable and sad marriage”.