A Kenyan High Court has ruled that housewives should be getting paid monthly for rendering full time services in their matrimonial homes.
According to the court judge, Teresia Matheka, being a housewife is like a full-time job and should attract some form of compensation in the end.
Naija News understands that judge stated this while presiding over a matrimonial property dispute.
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The complainant is said to be a divorced lady who filed a suit before the court, seeking to have their family property sold and the money shared equally between her and her ex-husband.
Matheka in her defence of the complainant said it is unfair for courts to rule that housewives do not contribute anything to the financial progress of the family.
The Judge stated that housewives should not be considered as people not working since they provide services in the home that are otherwise outsourced and paid for in other instances.
She added that it is unfair to only rely on seen income and the mindset that one has to contribute money to the marriage to find value.
Matheka said; “It is easy for the spouse working away from home and sending money to lay claim to the whole property purchased and developed with that money by the spouse staying at home and taking care of the children and the family. That spouse will be heard to say that the other one was not employed so they contributed nothing.
“Raising children is a full-time job that families pay a person to do. Cooking and cleaning as well. Hence, for a woman in employment who has to balance childbearing and rearing this contribution must be considered.”
Matheka also admonished her counterparts to consider the 9 months of pregnancy when presiding over cases of matrimonial disputes.
She opined that carrying a pregnancy for a period of nine months is equivalent to working.
According to her, couples in some instances resort to hiring surrogate mothers to bear children for them.
Passing judgement on the case brought before her, Matheka ruled that the property be sold and money shared equally, or one of the spouses buy out the other party by paying half the value of the property that the party is entitled to. [Naijanews]
