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The 2018 Milano Marathon champion faces her ex-husband in court over her estate, revealing struggles with trust, betrayal and resilience behind her success.
Marriage is often built on shared dreams and hard work but for former Commonwealth 10,000-meter champion Lucy Kabuu the end of her marriage has become a battle over a shared fortune.
In the latest development in a high-profile legal dispute, Kabuu has accused her ex-husband and former coach, Jeremiah Maina, of staking a claim in her Sh70 million ($ 540,000) estate—a fortune Kabuu claims she earned almost entirely on her own.
On Friday, as Kabuu sat in Nakuru court, she detailed a relationship marked by deception, financial control, and, according to her, manipulation that eventually led to the downfall of their marriage.
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Now, her ex-husband wants half of the estate, a demand that Kabuu firmly opposes, asserting that Maina never contributed financially to their shared assets.
“He stole my ID but I still left him my ATM card for him to withdraw money from my account to support our child,” Kabuu testified as per Standard.
In 2011, Kabuu, then at the height of her career, left the country to compete abroad, leaving Maina with access to her ATM card to cover household expenses for their child. This decision, however, has become a focal point of their courtroom battle as Maina seeks a significant portion of her assets.
Kabuu’s story began long before this courtroom dispute. She was a rising star on the track, eventually capturing gold in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Her success brought both fame and financial rewards.
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But as her athletic accomplishments grew, so did her responsibilities at home, and, according to Kabuu, Maina became increasingly involved in her finances.
She alleges that he went so far as to steal her national ID card in 2012, ensuring that all her earnings would be channeled through his accounts—a claim she shared with the court, painting a picture of financial manipulation that left her vulnerable.
“Maina, who was earning Sh27,000, being a police officer, could not afford to buy properties,” she testified, casting doubt on his ability to contribute significantly to their estate.
But under further questioning, Kabuu acknowledged that at certain times, Maina had a net income of less than Sh10,000, suggesting he may have resorted to taking loans.
Her testimony became more complex as she admitted that Maina had, in fact, sent her substantial sums, including Sh700,000 in October 2013 and additional transfers of Sh100,000 on two occasions in early November of that year.
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While Kabuu remains resolute that she funded most of their properties herself, she admitted that some of these properties were registered in Maina’s name.
Kabuu defended her position, claiming that Maina’s assistance as her assistant coach, though unpaid, did not entitle him to her assets.
“I engaged him as an assistant coach. He was never paid for coaching me. He helped me with athletic competitions,” she explained, insisting that despite their close working relationship, she never intended to share her hard-earned assets with him.
The court documents detail a marriage that was often strained, with Maina leaving his work to accompany Kabuu on her trips abroad.
Kabuu testified that on each trip, they would spend less than 20 days together, with Maina frequently taking time off from his job to support her, a gesture she claims did not translate into a financial investment in their shared estate.
Kabuu’s courtroom narrative took an even more dramatic turn when she recounted an incident in 2013 where Maina allegedly staged his own abduction.
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She testified that he demanded a ransom of Sh500,000, only to later claim he had been released after she involved the police. This alleged plot, Kabuu claimed, highlighted a pattern of deceit and manipulation that left her questioning her partner’s intentions.
Their marriage dissolved in 2020 after a court deemed it irretrievable.
Now, as Kabuu fights to protect the assets she believes rightfully belong to her, she faces an uphill legal battle.
The disputed properties include prime plots scattered across central Kenya, commercial and residential properties, motor vehicles, and parcels of land in other parts of the country.
Maina, for his part, argues that his financial contributions and personal sacrifices entitle him to a fair share of the estate, a claim that Kabuu passionately disputes. The hearing will continue on December 3.
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