Political activist Morara Kebaso says he has challenged the decision to move his two children from Rophine School to an international school, arguing that the change was made without his consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kebaso says he had been paying about Sh120,000 per term for the two children at Rophine School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He claims that while he was in China, the children were moved to an international school and that the cost of school fees and other expenses has since risen to about Sh1m per term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI protested this move. Not because of the cost but because I don’t believe in the values taught at international schools,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kebaso said he wanted his children to attend ordinary Kenyan schools, where he believes they would develop what he described as African values and a greater understanding of the challenges faced by ordinary people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He argued that children brought up with significant privilege could become detached from the realities experienced by many other Kenyans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I was travelling to Ethiopia, you sent me court papers where you have taken me to court to pay that school fees by force,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the matter was now before the courts and that he was waiting for a decision before deciding what to do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kebaso also rejected claims that he has been an irresponsible father, saying he had attended all parents’ meetings since his children started school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He challenged his former partner, Mercy, to confirm his account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you are honest, you will bear witness to the whole world that I have attended every single parents’ meeting since they stepped in school,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He claimed that she had attended only two parents’ meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kebaso said his political activities had not prevented him from being involved in his children’s education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven when I was busy in politics, I would travel overnight 400 kilometres to be in school the next day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also called on teachers at Rophine School to confirm that he sometimes visited the school without prior notice to check on his children’s classwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kebaso further defended his role in caring for the children, recalling the period following the birth of their daughter, Zainah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen Zainah was born, who was staying up at night to watch over her? Who was washing her? Who was washing her clothes? Is it not me?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His comments come amid an increasingly public dispute over parenting, education and the breakdown of the relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kebaso said his former partner left their home while he was in Kisii, and that he returned to Nairobi to find that she had moved out and acquired or rented another house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said he subsequently attempted to resolve the dispute through their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI left Nairobi, took myself to your parents’ home in Bobasi in humility and talked to them and asked for a family meeting with my parents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that instead of a family meeting, he was served with court papers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo between family reconciliation and court battles, what exactly is effective?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kebaso said he believed men should also be able to respond when their reputation and role as parents are publicly questioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He questioned what he described as a tendency to expect men to remain silent when allegations about their conduct as fathers are made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The claims made by Kebaso have not been independently established. The school-fee and parenting dispute is before the courts, where the parties will have an opportunity to present their respective cases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Political activist Morara Kebaso says he has challenged the decision to move his two children from Rophine School to an international school, arguing that the change was made without his consent. Kebaso says he had been paying about Sh120,000 per term for the two children at Rophine School. He claims that while he was in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":26336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-lifestyle"],"yoast_head":"\n