*Mayor wonders why his ex-wife is demanding K7,000 for child maintenance when she gets over K50, 000 as her monthly salary from her job as Bank of Zambia economist.
*Mayor has since paid K87,000 outstanding balance to American International School.
Lusaka Mayor Miles Sampa has pleaded with the High Court to reduce the maintenance fee for his daughter from K7,000 to K1,500 because he is struggling to fend for his four other children. The city father has asked the court to vary the maintenance order dated April 23, 2019 in which he was ordered to be paying K7,000 monthly child maintenance fee for his fiveyear-old daughter, Emmanuella.
This is a case in which Mr Sampa’s former wife, Mwika Mwenechanya, asked the court to cite him for contempt and order the Lusaka City Council to be dedicating K7,000 from his monthly salary for child maintenance. In July this year, the High Court ordered the Lusaka City Council to start making monthly deductions of K7,000 from Mr Sampa’s salary which will be given to Ms Mwenechanya for child maintenance. Last week, Lusaka Town Clerk Alex Mwansa told the Daily Mail that the first deduction from the city father’s salary is expected to be done this month-end.
But Mr Sampa has gone back to court requesting a reduction of the child maintenance fee on grounds that he is struggling to provide basic needs for himself and his other four children. “I crave the indulgence of this honourable court to grant my application and reduce the monthly child maintenance fee to K1,500 to enable me to equally and properly maintain my other four children and myself,” he states.
This is contained in an affidavit in support of summons for an order to vary the maintenance order. Mr Sampa states that on April 23 this year, the court rendered a ruling on maintenance in which it directed him to be paying K7,000. “I have complied with all court orders given and moved the said child to Baobab School of Lusaka and paid all outstanding bills amounting K87,000 to the American International School as confirmed by the school,” the document reads.
He says he has also put Emmanuella on the council’s mescaline scheme and provided a driver to be taking her to and from school daily. Mr Sampa also says he buys his daughter clothes every three months. He states that while his salary is K20,000, his personal monthly expenses on food and clothing cost K8,000 and that he also has four other children who depend on his monthly income.
Mr Sampa submits that he intends to raise all his children equally and does not want to appear as if he is favouring any of them. “The respondent has a mortgage with Stanbic Bank amounting to K82,036.29 together with interest calculated at 24.75 percent per annum.
“The bank has since sent him a final demand notice on the loan,” the document reads. In his further plea to reduce the maintenance order, Mr Sampa has said it is a fact that his former wife is an economist at Bank of Zambia who earns over K50,000 as monthly salary and that she only has one child to fend for.
Read this article from the original source: Sampa Says He Can Only Manage K1,500 Not K7,000 As Child Maintenance.