Barely weeks after the emotional burial of gospel singer Betty Bayo, tensions within the family have erupted into a bitter custody dispute over her two children.
In a candid TikTok Live session with Shiko in Oakland, Bayo’s mother, Joyce Mbugua, publicly appealed for intervention, revealing what she painted as an escalating battle for the late singer’s children; Sky Victor and Danivictor.
“I would like to ask people of goodwill, by whatever means, to let the kids be taken from the home and handed to my daughter Wanjiku, who will be assisted by Joyce,” she said. “The kids know her, and she is ready to take them in because I am away.”
Ms Mbugua levelled a series of accusations against Bayo’s widower, Hiram Gitau, popularly known as Tash, regarding the children’s welfare and custody. The claims, however, could not be independently verified by the time of publication.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-ic_-BMBjo
The custody debate, already simmering online, has centred on whether the children should remain with their stepfather Tash, be taken in by their grandmother, or return to the care of their biological father, Pastor Victor Kanyari.
According to Mbugua, a post-burial committee meeting had been planned to deliberate on, among other matters, the custody of the two children, but Tash was allegedly a no-show.
“We agreed that after the burial, him and the rest of the committee would convene to take stock. He did not show up,” she claimed, adding that she has not found peace since her daughter passed.
While insisting she was willing to raise the children herself, Mbugua urged Pastor Kanyari to take formal responsibility for them in her absence.
“If he (Kanyari) can hear me, let him go to the police, get an OB number and go get his kids back,” she appealed, noting that legal action was necessary to secure custody.
Her emotions peaked as she expressed determination to safeguard her grandchildren’s inheritance, stating that she was prepared to take charge of Betty’s assets to ensure they benefit the children, and called for legal assistance.
“Any lawyer who can help me, please do,” she said. “We want those kids to leave that place and for the other things to start. We are going to ask for everything that belonged to Betty because they belong to her kids. There is no way Kanyari can disown his kids.”
Mbugua, visibly fighting tears, further said she was devastated to learn of the severity of Betty Bayo’s health issues only shortly before her death, painting a picture of an outsider in her own family.
“For the longest, I never knew my child was sick. I just knew that she suffered from leukaemia barely a week to her death,” she said.
Tash, Bayo’s widower, has yet to make any public comment or respond to the allegations.
The revelations now cast light on one of the most high interest deaths in the music scene in recent times, with chatter expected to continue on the custody battle.
Bayo, who died of acute myeloid leukaemia while undergoing treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital, was buried in Kiambu on November 20.
She was fondly remembered as a voice of the gospel to the millions of listeners whose hearts she touched with her music.