Kenyan Woman Embroiled in Child Custody Fight with Her Former British Boyfriend

A Kenyan woman is entangled in a child custody fight with her former boyfriend who is a British national.

Hellen Maria Imokor is said to have met Kevin Barry Hurley, a former police detective attached to the Scotland Yard, during his visit to Kenya in 2016.

Barry had come to Kenya as a tourist and met Maria in Diani after which their relationship blossomed leading to the birth of a baby boy in 2017.

In 2019, Maria filed a case at the Mombasa High Court seeking child maintenance for their son from Barry. 

But in a fresh turn of events, Barry filed a lawsuit seeking custodial ownership of the three-year-old boy claiming Maria has denied her access to his son.

This forced Maria through her lawyer Geoffrey Were to seek a court injunction constraining Barry from taking over the custody of the boy.

High Court Justice John Nyabuto ordered the child to remain under the custody of Maria but granted Barry daytime care of the boy. He will access the child during the daytime till mid-December when he is expected to travel back to the UK.

“The child’s pick-up point will be at the Tononoka children’s court in Mvita constituency,” the judge directed.

Justice Onyiego directed the sub-county children’s officer to supervise the daily handing over of the boy between Barry and Maria.

Maria is required to drop and hand over the child at 8 am at the lower court and pick him at 6 pm daily.