A 48-year-old Danish national is crying for help after being thrown out of a Sh2 million Malindi beach house by his Kenyan wife.
Mr Simon Enna Wesche, also claims that his efforts to return to Kenya have been hindered after efforts to apply for a Kenyan visa bounced three times.
He said that in 2019 he met Vivien Nasimiyu Wamalwa in Denmark in the year 2019 when she was still married to another Danish man but she dissolved the marriage weeks later and they immediately got married.
He added that he bought the house at Harbour Key Cottages from Nesti Maria Raffaella on 27th day of September 2021 for Sh. 10.5 million and spent Sh. 2 million to renovate and furnish it and that the documents bore both his name and that of Ms Wamalwa.
“I met Vivien Nasimiyu Wamalwa in Denmark in 2019, when she was still married to her previous Danish husband but they later divorced and I married her in Denmark in 2020, but due to her difficulties obtaining a residence permit in Denmark, we decided to relocate to Kenya and we first settled at rented apartment in Nairobi in May 2021,” he said.
The shaken Mr Wesche added that during their holiday in Malindi they came across a house for sale at Harbour Key Cottages which he liked and proceeded to buy.
“During a holiday in Malindi, we found a beach cottage for sale which I purchased as my first investment in Kenya with money sourced from my property in Denmark.
She misled me into including her name on the sale agreement, claiming that I was not allowed to own property in Kenya as a foreigner but immediately following the completion of the renovation of the cottage in August 2022, she started talking seriously about divorce,” he said.
Mr Wesche added that her estranged wife threatened to take the house from him and have him deported from the country.
“I even voiced this concern to the Danish Embassy in Kenya who took note of the case. She never missed an opportunity to mention the influence of her family, should I ever wish to cross swords with her.
Hell broke loose when Mr Wesche left on 6th February 2023 to escort his ailing father to Denmark and Ms Wamalwa who was in Nairobi at the time upon receiving information, travelled to Malindi the following day and broke into the house and was currently residing with another man.
“She forcefully broke into my house and is now living there comfortably with another man at my expense and she has used her connections to get my residence permit and re-entry pass to Kenya revoked. Applying for a Tourist Visa subsequently failed twice for unknown reasons,” he said.
“It has been brought to my attention that she back in August last year referred to me as her “pension plan”, so there is no doubt that her current actions are just the execution of a long-term plan.
In fact, it is more than likely that this was her plan right from the beginning, and I hold strong evidence that this was also how she parted with her previous husband in Denmark,” said Mr Wesche.
He now says that his life is in danger after efforts to invest in Kenya were interrupted by his once-lovely wife.
“Her plan is obviously to claim half of the house to which she has made no contribution and intimidate me to keep away with any means she has. I am now living in exile in Denmark, away from the property I rightfully own in Kenya, and the life that I have worked hard for.
The country I once felt deeply in love with and considered my home has become a nightmare because of people who are constantly pulling strings to frustrate me,” he said.
He claims that her wife was using the police to intimidate his friends in Kenya with a case in mind where police stormed a birthday party at Harbour Key Cottages and arrested three of his friends but they were released upon arriving at the Malindi police station.
“I literally fear for my life and safety in Kenya, not knowing how far she is willing to go to keep me away. I am well aware of wazungu falling prey to this scam and in extreme cases ending up in a septic tank.
I hope this case will be the beginning of protecting other honest people from local thieves who steal in the name of the relationship.
Those cases are neither good for investment nor for the reputation of Kenya. This was supposed to be the first of many investments in Kenya, but she is killing my dream to invest in Kenya and live a peaceful life in that beautiful country,” he said.
When contacted, Ms Wamalwa said that he could not comment on the matter since it is in court.
“The matter is in court therefore it cannot be discussed,” she said.
He concluded by saying that her wife was a textbook example of a gold digger, blessed with an influential name and family.
Mr Wesches’ case is not the only one of its kind in Malindi as many foreigners have fallen prey to rogue Kenyan women during their vacation in the coastal town.
Two years ago, a 66-year-old German pensioner Reigner Hans Hermann residing at Harbour Key Cottages lost Sh. 5.2 million to his 24-year-old girlfriend who stole the money and vanished.
The German who first visited Kenya in January 2019 as a tourist and fell in love with its serenity at the Coast, returned and opted to settle down in Malindi.
“I returned to Kenya with a lot of money that I planned to buy a house and also invest in irrigation projects,” he said then.
Mr Jeremy Jefwa, a Kilifi businessman opined that some girls in Malindi were taking advantage of foreigners by fixing them in trouble with an aim of dispossessing them of their properties and investments.
“The police are helping these girls implement their strategies by siding with them instead of instilling safety to tourists and investors and this is scaring away would-be investors and giving Malindi a bad name,” he said.