Mr Ruto was defending himself before Justice Reuben Nyakundi in a case where Rosa Cheruiyot sued him for allegedly selling a Sh25 million matrimonial property to former Kenya Power boss Ben Chumo without her consent.

Mr Ruto shocked the court when he said Rosa Cheruiyot, with whom he lived for more than 30 years before they separated, was only his partner and not his wife.

“Let this court know that Rosa Cheruiyot was never my wife as she claims despite being the mother of our four children,” he told the court.

The five-acre prime property known as Pioneer/Ngeria Block 1 (EATEC) 3531, which is at the center of the legal battle, is located near the Eldoret International Airport along the Eldoret-Kapsabet highway in Uasin Gishu County.

Ms Cheruiyot accused Mr Ruto, who she claims is her estranged husband, of selling the land behind her back, claiming it was matrimonial property.

According to the woman, she married Mr Ruto in 1984. She says their marriage was stable until 2021 when they started facing problems. Their eldest daughter is 39 years old.

But Mr Ruto told the court he married Diana Chepkoech in 2008 under Kipsigis customary law and planned to settle on the property with the three children he had with her.

He regretted that he was never able to settle on the five-acre plot with his wife, Diana, because of his accuser’s constant trespassing, hostility and interference.

Ironically, Mr Ruto told the court that Ms Cheruiyot’s parents rejected his offer to marry their daughter when he approached them three decades ago to propose at their home in Eldama Ravine in Baringo County.

“When I went to Rosa’s house in Eldama Ravine area with elders from my home county, Kericho, her parents’ reception was negative,” he told Justice Reuben Nyakundi.

He disclosed that the in-laws returned an envelope containing Sh3,000 given to them as a token of appreciation for hosting them at their home, saying the amount was too little.

He denied Ms Cheruiyot’s claims that they jointly own the five acres of land in dispute, saying that when he was retired, he used his pension savings to buy the property.

He told the judge he had no obligation to seek the blessing or consent of the woman he calls his partner to sell the property, arguing that his accuser was not a co-owner of it.

“The disputed land was never matrimonial property as claimed by Rosa Cheruiyot. I bought the land from my pension income and she never contributed anything to its purchase,” he told the court.

However, he told the court that before entering into a contract of sale with Mr Chumo, he informed Ms Cheruiyot as the custodian of his children.

Giving evidence in court, Mr Ruto said Ms Cheruiyot’s behavior prompted him to sell the property so that he could use the proceeds to buy a commercial building in his home county of Kericho.

The former Kenya Power MD told the court that he had carried out due diligence before buying the disputed property from Mr Ruto.

He said he took a Sh25 million loan from Stima Sacco to buy the five acre land where he planted coffee and developed a section.

Mr Chumo told the court that in January 2020, Mr Ruto, who was a member of his church, approached him with an offer to sell land. They agreed on a purchase price of Sh25 million.

“I paid a deposit of Sh3 million to Ruto and deposited the balance of Sh22 million with our lawyer which was later paid to Mr Ruto before the title was transferred to me,” he told the court.

Mr Chumo described Mr Ruto as a very responsible man and believed his decision to sell the land to him was in the best interests of his family.

The matter will be mentioned on November 6 for further directions.