This archive report was first published on 24 September 2019.
Published on September 24, 2019, a Mombasa court has granted a divorce to a bishop and his wife after 21 years of marriage, citing grounds of desertion, adultery, and denial of conjugal rights.
Bishop Evans Mayenyo Elegwa, who ministers at Bahari Pentecostal Church in Mombasa, filed for divorce against his wife Pastor Hellen Jalenga Luyali, citing that their marriage had irretrievably broken down.
According to the court documents, the couple got married in 1995 and had been living together until 2014 when the bishop went for further studies in Singapore for two years. Upon his return in 2016, the bishop testified that his wife had changed and refused to join him at their matrimonial home in Mombasa.
The bishop accused his wife of cruelty, pointing out that there was no longer any trust or goodwill left in the marriage. He also accused her of selling off family property in Kitale without seeking consent from him.
However, Pastor Luyali denied the allegations, stating that her husband had chased her away from the matrimonial home in 2016 upon his return from Singapore. She also denied selling any property at their rural home in Kitale and abandoning their children.
Resident Magistrate Joshua Nyariki delivered the ruling, stating that he was satisfied that the bishop had proved that the marriage had irretrievably broken down. Nyariki allowed the couple to try to work it out for the last time within the next 12 months before the marriage is declared completely dissolved.
