Mombasa evangelical couple, Bishop Evans Elegwa and Pastor Hellen Luyali file for divorce

She has denied me conjugal rights – popular Bishop files divorce against wife of 20 years

Tony Mukere

July 12, 2019 12:05 PM

The Bishop's wife is a pastor in his church

Bishop Evans Mayenyo Elegwa presiding over a service at Bahari Pentecostal Church in Mombasa

A popular Bishop in Mombasa city, Evans Mayengo Elegwa, has filed a divorce case against his wife of twenty four years – Pastor Hellen Luyali.

In the suit filed at the Mombasa Law Courts, Elegwa accused his wife of denying him conjugal rights, deserting their matrimonial home, and adultery.

Elegwa heads Bahari Pentecostal Church where his wife is also a pastor.

He told Resident Magistrate Joshua Nyarike that he had made numerous attempts, including reaching out through senior pastors in his church, to reconcile with his wife who left their matrimonial home.

“I have appealed to her to come back home but she has refused. She has made no effort or shown interest in saving our marriage. She refused to attend reconciliation meetings organised by senior pastors in Mombasa, even though she is also a pastor in this fellowship,” Elegwa said.

Conjugal rights

The Bishop further testified that he had been denied his conjugal rights for three years.

“She was rude. She refused to cooperate with me when my father died. She later refused to return to our home after her father’s burial in Kitale. She has denied me my conjugal rights as we have not been intimate for the last three years,” the cleric said in an affidavit, adding that he had suffered emotional and psychological trauma.

In a replying affidavit, Pastor Luyali said her husband had chased her out of their matrimonial home in Mombasa and started seeing another woman he was planning to marry.

She pleaded with the court to fine her husband for wasting her life for more than twenty years.

“He has broken our marriage. He is working to destroy our marriage without considering my welfare or that of the children just because he wants to marry another wife. He should also be ordered to pay me special damages for wasting my life since we were in marriage over 20 years ago,” said the woman.

Tony Mukere