Simon Kabu Petitions Court to Dismiss Nanny’s Sh21 Million Lawsuit Against Him and His Estranged Wife
Simone Kabu the CEO of Bonfire Adventures Travel Agency wants the case in which he and his estranged wife Sarah have been sued by their former nanny for Sh21 million dismissed.
The nanny has sued the estranged couple over a home video that went viral, citing a breach of privacy, cyberbullying, sexual harassment by Sarah, and mental anguish.
Sarah Kabu Explains Why She Attacked Her Husband With a Knife
In December 2024, the nanny was thrust into the limelight following an alleged CCTV footage that triggered a debate on the marital woes of the Bonfire Adventures Directors.
JK (the woman) claims in court papers that her employment as a nanny and homeschool teacher for the Kabus’ two children in June 2024 was part of a ruse aimed at using social media to make her a scapegoat for the estranged couple’s marital problems.
JK’s case has shone a spotlight on the seemingly troubled life of the Kabus, which is a stark contrast to what the estranged duo has shown the public for years – a happy-clappy power couple using their perfect marriage to grow their company into a tourism industry behemoth.
The case has also revealed that Sarah may have narrowly dodged criminal charges for causing actual bodily harm to JK, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.
She is seeking Sh7 million for sexual harassment by Sarah, Sh7 million for breach of confidentiality by Simon’s release of the CCTV footage, and violation of dignity by both Simon and Sarah.
The saga, which has snowballed into an intrusive legal battle exposing secrets of the Bonfire Adventures proprietors, started on July 8, 2024, barely a month after JK was hired.
Simon and Sarah were already separated, with the latter having already moved out of their marital home in the posh Edenville gated community along Kiambu Road.
JK says in court papers that Simon had all along attributed Sarah’s absence from the home to a busy working schedule.
She says Simon and Sarah’s marriage became problematic with her thrown in the center of it despite remaining professional in her duties.
While Sarah wanted her gone and even fired her, Simon ordered her to stay a situation that intensified the couple’s marriage woe.
JK says during the back and forth between the married couple, she was at one point assaulted by Sarah who she also alleges hurled sexual innuendos at her. When she threatened to report the matter, JK says Simon urged her not to.
On August 28, 2024, Simon sent Sh250,000 to JK’s bank account, but the court papers do not indicate what the money was for. On October 15, 2024, Sarah and JK reached an out-of-court deal, and it was agreed that the money Simon had sent the latter be considered part of the settlement fee.
She notes that Sarah was also willing to give her an extra Sh100,000 to close the matter. JK now maintains that she agreed to the settlement out of duress.
“I opted for settlement because I was disappointed at how my case was being handled, the prejudice, and negative discrimination I faced at the Kiambu police station. Sarah’s case was a clear manifest of how the rich are protected by the law even if they are in the wrong,” JK says in her court filings.
The matter should have ended on October 15, 2024, after the deal was signed and everyone was told that the CCTV footage had been deleted.
But on December 4, 2024, the same video that was non-existent started trending on social media. Some social media users claimed that JK was romantically involved with Simon and that she was pregnant.
She now claims that Simon and Sarah paid some bloggers and social media users to malign her name for publicity stunts.
When JK called Simon and asked why he had leaked the video. Simon allegedly said he mistakenly sent it to the Bonfire Adventures WhatsApp group while trying to get the footage to his lawyer.
Those form the basis of JK’s next two claims for violation of privacy and reputational damage, for which she wants Sh14 million.
Simon filed a preliminary objection terming her former employee’s case as frivolous, bad in law, vexatious,s and an abuse of court.
He also wants the case to be struck out, on the grounds that, the Employment and Labour Relations court has jurisdiction to determine the suit.
The matter came up for mentioning this week before Hon. Justice Bernard Matanga who directed the parties appear before him on 27th March 2025 for the ruling of Mr Kabu’s objection.
