Man sues neighbours for not having second child

A city resident has dragged his neighbours to court over what he termed as “psychological torture” of their seven-year-old son by not having a second child.
Mr Raymond Kadasi, in an affidavit said that the couple, Joab and Maria, have been married for seven years with one child whose wellbeing concerns him as a good neighbour.

“The poor child has to play with toys. You find him talking to himself… are these parents training the toddler for mental asylum?” he said in the affidavit.
“Maria is a businesswoman who earns quite some keep and Joab is a corporate, but all they do during their free-time is go jogging. They are like playmates but their child is lonely.”

Kadasi said that in the past, having one child like that was okay because communities took care of raising children. There were no gated compounds and high-rise perimeter walls so children played freely among themselves, he added.

“In my previous interactions with both the couple and their visiting parents, I’ve learnt that they [the couple] keep talking about fees and that raising children is now too expensive,” Kadasi told the court.
“I pray that this court sees that such excuses are all hogwash. Schools have been closed for months now and parents are not paying school fees. What’s their excuse then?”

The plaintiff said just because the woman is called Maria, she shouldn’t make it as though she was the “biblical creature” who only had Jesus for a child.
“I know for sure Mary broke her virginity afterwards and had several children with Joseph,” he said. “Joab might not be Joseph but their pitiable toddler is not Jesus either. I pray that this court compels the couple to have a second child, especially during these times when there are widespread reports of couples welcoming children due to lockdown.”

Magistrate Grade One Flory Not-True, of the Just Tales family court in Naguru, a city suburb, has ordered the couple to file their defence not later than December 2020.
She said the plaintiff made a lot of sense in pointing out that the couple has two cars and recently acquired two new bicycles, which she added meant their financial standing was solid enough to cater for more children.
“Maria in particular has told her mother and in-laws that she was on family planning,” the magistrate said.

“That means she is capable of conceiving so if this court can prove that the couple’s only child is lonely and talking to himself while playing with toys, then this noble court will have no alternative but to compel you to have a playmate for your son.”
Flory said the alternative for adoption was there but stressed that the parents, according to the plaintiff’s affidavit, have shared their wish for the couple to have another child.

“This is not China where there once was a one-child policy. The government is even giving free food, reading materials and we have UPE, what’s there to fear?”
Kadasi, who said he has 17 children with three women, told this writer separately.
“But I must admit my children don’t live with me but with their mothers’ parents because it’s easier that way,” he added.