A Mombasa based law court has dissolved a 21 years old marriage between a pastor and a bishop over adultery, desertion and denial of conjugal rights.
According to reports by The Standard Media, Mombasa Resident Magistrate Joshua Nyariki allowed Pastor Hellen Jalenga Luyali to part ways with Bishop Evans Mayenyo Elegwa citing that it would be unjust to compel the two to continue being together.
“It would be unjust to compel the parties to remain together in a union where both parties have given each other their backs and no one is ready for reconciliation,” Nyariki stated in his ruling as quoted by The Standard Media.
Bishop Elegwa's request for a share of matrimonial property was nonetheless denied.
The couple has three biological children and two adopted ones.
According to Bishop Elegwa who preaches at Bahari Pentecostal Church, his wife abandoned their marriage in 2016 and had not expressed any interest of rekindling their relationship.
Although the magistrate was satisfied that the Bishop had proved beyond a doubt that their marriage would not work, he gave them a 12 months period to try and resolve their issues before their marriage was fully dissolved.
“We should not be 100 per cent pessimistic. No one knows what tomorrow brings,” said the magistrate.
Pastor Luyali, on the other hand, claimed that her husband had chased her away from their home and never tried to reconcile. She went ahead to accuse the bishop of breaking the marriage so as to get married to another woman.
“He has broken the marriage himself because he wants to marry another wife. Because of his unfaithfulness, he is willing to break the marriage without considering my welfare,” Luyali stated.
She also asked the court to divide the wealth that they had acquired during their marriage equally.