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It is not uncommon to hear that an ordained man of the clothe has embarrassed his congregation and the heavens at large by engaging in one ungodly act or the other.
But it still was nothing short of flummoxing when a married church Bishop from Kajiado County eloped with a married woman, leaving her poor husband drenched in tears and miasma of pain and regrets.
The jilted husband from Ongata Rongai claims Bishop Charles Maloba of Power Pentecost Church eloped with his wife, Esther Imani who is a singer, three months ago and that they are now cohabiting at an undisclosed location in Kajiado.
David Makori says his wife of nine years severed ties with him after finding warmth in the bosom of the man of the Lord. His attempts at reconciliation with the mother of his child hit a snag with the lady adamant that she has found new love which she is unwilling to let her paws out from.
“I can’t understand how a married church bishop can snatch someone’s wife with such audacity and still claim to be preaching the Gospel,” Makori lamented to The Nairobian.
According to Makori, his relationship with his wife was cordial before she met the man of God at his church where she had gone to perform as a gospel singer.
“It seems the bishop liked her performance so much that he found a way of drawing her close,” claims Makori.
But Makori is not the one who is beleaguered. The Bishop’s wife Beatrice Wanjerama, is a woman scorned.
The Rwandese laments that the soldier of the Lord has deserted his home and matrimonial duties ever since he met Esther, adding that she has confronted her husband, the marriage deteriorates by the day.
“As we speak, my husband has not been home for close to two months. I understand he is cohabiting with that lady somewhere in Kajiado, he has deserted us completely and he doesn’t even know what we eat,” she moaned
Wanjerama says what hurts her most is that she is jobless, and in a foreign land without the means to support her family. Furthermore, she also doesn’t have bus fare to go back to Rwanda, her home country, where the bishop met and lured her into marriage.
She now plans to sabotage any traditional marriage between her husband and Esther.
Wanjerama says she remains his legally married wife because he is yet to divorce her, which gives her the mandate to reclaim her marriage. She claims to have sought assistance from various authorities, including the police, to no avail because, she says, “that man is very good at sweet-talking people.”
Esther on her part has thrown the blame back at Makori, touting his nonchalance as the reason behind their woes.
“How can a man stay with someone’s daughter for over 10 years without bothering to make the marriage official? If I found someone serious, what is the problem? ” she posed.
When reached for comment, Bishop Maloba dismissed the claims as rumors and said he wasn’t aware of the matter.
“I don’t know what you are talking about because my relationship with my wife is good. In fact today morning, I was in the house and she attended to me well. So maybe I should consult her to establish whether she has issues with me,” said Bishop Maloba told a local publication.
But when pressed to explain photos in which he appears cozy with Esther, he told this writer: “You know I come from Luhya land and my father had six wives. If you know, you know,” he added before hanging up.
Pressed further, he threatened the Standard Media journalist
“Young man, if you love yourself, you should find something else to do. Leave my relationship issues alone,” said the man of God.