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Ephantus Safari, the ex-husband of actress Joy Karambu, popularly known as Kawira, has broken his silence about their six-year marriage, shedding light on their relationship's inception, the reasons for their separation, and the ensuing depression he faced when Kawira allegedly left him.
The father of two opened up during an interview with presenter Ali on September 3, offering insights into their journey as a couple.
How Ephantas & Kawira met
Ephantus revealed that their paths first crossed in 2013 when he was organizing an event at St Andrew's.
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They were in search of an MC who could connect well with children, and that's when he noticed Kawira backstage.
At the time, Ephantus had been contemplating marriage, and he found Kawira's character appealing. Their connection blossomed, leading to a grand wedding. Ephantus asserted that he has never regretted his decision to marry Kawira.
"We met in 2013. I was doing an event at St Andrews. We were looking for an MC who would connect well with kids. So siku ya show the way she was backstage I liked her. That time nilikuwa nafeel I wanted to get married.
"Niliona huyu ni dame ako na character poa. We met numerous times then from there we decided to have a wedding, which was huge. I've never said that I made a wrong decision," he said.
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Ephantas reveals they faced pressure to have kids
Their initial plan was to wait for two years before having children, as they both felt they were still young. However, the pressure from relatives made those two years challenging.
They eventually decided to have children, but this decision marked the beginning of their relationship's troubles.
Ephantus shared that cultural differences and the presence of Kawira's mother-in-law in their home strained their relationship.
"When kids came challenges zilianza. On her side, she said alikuwa tu anatrust her mother na watoi, so we had to bring her mother. Issues started from there because in our Kikuyu culture mothers-in-law are not supposed to stay with the son-in-law. Ni kutembea tu alafu anaenda," she said.
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Although they initially agreed that Kawira's mother would leave and receive support from outside, the situation escalated from there.
Ephantas claims ex-wife Kawira left him
One day, Ephantus returned home to find that Kawira and their children were gone. He felt like something was wrong and realised that there were no security lights or any of her belongings in the house.
"One day I came back nikapata hawako... Nikafeel ni kama kuna kiru kinaendelea. Nilipata hakuna security lights.Nikaona hakuna vitu, nguo zake zote haziko, nikaenda bedroom ya watoi hakuna vitu. Nilifeel tu kama ameona ameishia ni sawa tu.
"I didn't call until the third day. When I called some of her friends and relatives, none of them gave me a positive response. All this time I was sending support but when I called she was not picking up. Later she blocked me everywhere," he said.
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Ephantus fell into a deep depression during this period, even turning to alcohol for solace.
After surviving a health scare related to his high sugar levels, Ephantus decided to forgive completely and move on.
"I tried all I could until I hated people in the church because no one was willing to help. I got into depression. I started drinking in the house. I was very bitter about everything. Akaanza ku upload vitu on social media and interviews on various blogs.
"And unasoma comments people are judging you on what they don't know. I even went to the hospital and one time I felt like I was dying. Doc said my sugar level was high and it was possible that all my organs would be affected. But I survived," he said.
Ephantas hints at the possible cause of their break-up with kawira
Ephantus suggested a potential reason for his breakup with his ex-wife Kawira. He mentioned that recently, he had a conversation with one of her friends who told him that there were rumors and claims that he was involved with multiple partners, to the point that he had a bed in his office.
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He questioned why Kawira chose to believe these rumors and mentioned that he had heard similar concerns from a family member on the day of their wedding, although he didn't take those warnings seriously.
"Recently, I was talking to one of her friends, and I heard that they even claimed we had a bed in our workplace. They said I'm promiscuous, to the extent that I had placed a bed in my office.
"So, why did she choose to believe all those rumors? I was told many things by a family member on the day of our wedding, but I didn't take them seriously," he said.
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Ephantas accuses Kawira of denying him access to their kids
Ephantus expressed his desire to co-parent with Kawira for the sake of their children. He emphasized that he has attempted to reach out for this arrangement but has faced challenges.
"Maybe we were not compatible so the best thing is to give each other space and then we come together to co-parent. I've tried to reach out for that.
"Even last week I tried but it didn't work. But sasa ikikataa I will have to go for child custody through the courts. Mi anaeza nichomea jina vile anataka, but our kids staki wakue kwa vita zetu," he said.
Should their efforts to reconcile fail, he is prepared to seek child custody through legal means.