Man storms church armed, attacks pastor over claims of affair with wife

By VINCENT MABATUK

A congregation at a Kuresoi church in Nakuru had to scamper for safety after a resident, armed with a panga, stormed a church service demanding to have a word with his wife.

And because the church was full to capacity, the 71-year-old Gabriel Langat’s eyes could not spot his wife, 49. He turned to the presiding pastor and told him to produce her or he will slash him.

Lang’at, accusing the pastor of having a secret affair with his wife ,said it was time to discipline both of them in front of their members. “I want to see my wife here and now or I will kill all of you right away,” shouted the man as he headed to the altar where the pastor was delivering the sermon.

Endless crusades

The man then went ahead  and slashed the 31-year-old pastor on the shoulder as faithful scampered for safety.

“It was a horrible scene and every body was scared. The man was demanded to know why the pastor was having crusade prayers every weekend that ran deep into the night,” said Wilson Kiprono, a member of the church.

Kuresoi area police boss David Wambua said officers who were called in managed to disarm the old man and apprehended him waiting to be arraigned in court.

Meanwhile the pastor was rushed to Olenguruone District hospital where he received treatment and discharged. The OCPD said investigations revealed that the couple had differences after the wife abandoned the church they were attending with the rest of the family to join the current church without informing the husband.

Others injured

“The suspect also told us he suspected his wife had a secret love affair with the pastor, something we are also investigating but from the wife we have established that the husband had warned her not to set foot in that church,”said Wambua.

Other worshipers sustained minor injuries inflicted on them by broken chairs and iron sheets while fleeing the scene for their dear lives.