Relatives of dead pastor enter deal to sell church plot

Entrance to Ground For Gods Gospel Church at Bamburi in Mombasa. The Church was owned by the late Pastor Elisha Nyadoya who killed himself and his wife, Ann Mghoi at the Church. [Omondi Onyango/Standard]

The church in Mombasa where a pastor stabbed his estranged wife before turning the knife on himself has been demolished.

Local administrators supervised the dismantling of Ground For God’s Gospel Church based in Kiembeni area of Bamburi as congregants and family members of Elisha Misiki Nyadoya and Anne Mghoi watched.

Mghoi founded the church on a plot claimed by Nyadoya. Following their estrangement, the man took charge of the Kiembeni church while his wife ran a separate church in Taita Taveta County, where she is buried.

Nyadoya was buried in western Kenya early this month.

Kisauni Sub-county Deputy Police Commander William Cheruiyot said the demolition was agreed upon by mutual consent from both families.

“We are aware of the 3G church ministries demolition. Both parties came to us with a drafted agreement which we approved,” said Mr Cheruiyot.

Adopt children

As part of the deal, Mghoi’s and Nyadoya’s children, who have been living with their maternal grandmother, Magdalene Wasai, will be adopted by Margaret Nyadoya, the pastor’s mother.

Margaret will also receive all proceeds from the sale of plot of land on which the church stands.

Nyadoya is said to have left behind a 17-page suicide note in which he accused his wife of cheating on him with church members, conspiring to steal his church, and having him arrested on false claims.

According to police records, the couple traded claims of infidelity and theft, with Mghoi also accusing her husband of sleeping with her female relatives.

“Anything that belongs to me, including the children, church instruments and plot, to be handed over to my family,” read part of the suicide note.

The pastor’s younger sister, Violet Nyadoya, said members of both families met last week and drafted an agreement based on the suicide note left behind by her brother.

Violet told The Standard that all parties had agreed to respect the pastor’s wishes.

The four-page agreement, she revealed, was signed by Magdalene and Margaret and witnessed by three of Nyadoya’s siblings and two of Mghoi’s siblings.

“Both families have come to an agreement that the plot be handed over to Elisha’s family and the children are free to go to their father’s family.”

Violet said money from the sale of the land would help to educate the five school-going children. The firstborn is in secondary school.