American Man Fights for Custody of Son Taken to Kenya by Ex Girlfriend

An American man and his estranged Kenyan girlfriend are embroiled in a tussle for custody of their two-year-old son.

Claude Dary says the woman returned to Kenya with the boy named Rowan last year after taking him from his house in Manhattan, New York without his knowledge. He said the mother abruptly cut off communication with him and within a week, she had flown back to her country with the minor.

Dary has filed fresh papers in a New York court requesting custody of the child, according to nbcnewyork.com. In May, a Manhattan Family Court judge ruled that the Kenyan woman (name concealed) should return the boy to the US but the decision was stayed after her attorney appealed.

A hearing for Dary’s appeal is scheduled for late January 2020. Dary says he reached out to the US State Department and the Kenyan Embassy.

In a letter, the State Department said: “Kenya is not a signatory to the 1990 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Hague Abduction Convention). Thus, the Hague Abduction Convention is not an available mechanism to facilitate Rowan’s return.”