Apostle Okitwi: I almost died by suicide due to strange illnesses

Apostle James Okitwi. (Courtesy)

My name is Apostle James Okitwi from Teso, Busia County. I was born in 1964 and I am 60-years-old. I come from a polygamous family since my father had two wives.  We have four sons and two sisters.

Before you became a gospel minister, you were experiencing health-related challenges, please tell us more about this….

Yes for a long time, I was suffering from strange and chronic ailments whose causes were unknown.  We tried all kinds of treatments but they did not work.  For 18 years, I was surviving on medications and because of that, I was not able to go to school normally like other children.

What type of illnesses were you suffering from?

It was a strange illness, always accompanied by a severe headache. Interestingly, each time I fell ill, my younger sister experienced the same symptoms. This meant we often had to seek treatment or go to the hospital together. I began to wonder if it was some kind of curse or witchcraft, as no doctor could diagnose what was ailing us.

I remember a time from my childhood when I encountered my uncle on my way to school. I was carrying my books, and he asked me where I thought I was going with them. Since that moment, I started having bizarre dreams, dreams of being chased by snakes. I dreaded nighttime because of them.

How did you get saved amidst all these challenges?

Yes, my sister was the one who led the way. She got saved in 1980 as a means of finding hope in life and encouraged me to join her in matters of faith, especially since we had already faced many challenges. I followed her example three years later. I gave my life to Christ under a servant of God named Paul Khisa in Uganda, who prayed over me.

After four years, I returned to Kenya and started a ministry. Since God had instilled in me a grace for intercession, I have been spearheading this mission ever since.

At one point, you wanted to commit suicide, why?

The sickness had made me a hopeless man in life; this coupled with bad luck and people avoiding me made me feel worthless.  I took a rope from the kitchen and went to a nearby tree and sat under the tree, planning how to climb up the tree and commit suicide.  It was a huge tree and suddenly, I dozed off and slept the whole night. When I woke up, it was already day break and the suicide thoughts had disappeared. I felt that it was no longer necessary to consider suicide as the best decision to solve my problems.  Since then, I never thought of committing suicide again.

You are also a gospel artist, could you share how you ventured into this and what your journey has been like so far?

My journey as a gospel artist has been quite interesting. Initially, I never thought I would become a musician; it’s a long story. I’ve always been a preacher and an intercessor, but I never envisioned myself as a gospel artist.

My musical calling emerged during a time of prayer and fasting at my local church. I vividly remember one day when I had been praying and then decided to relax on a mattress in the church. I soon fell asleep, and while I was resting, I heard people singing a particular song. The voices seemed to grow louder as they approached me, even though the song was coming from afar. At that moment, I felt a profound sense of inner peace that I had never experienced before.

When I woke up, I began reflecting on the song I had heard in my sleep and why it had brought me such tranquillity. I immediately approached the church keyboardist and asked him to play the rhythm of the song that was still in my mind. As he played, I began to sing, recording it simultaneously.

The keyboardist had his own studio, and I asked him to create a beat for my song. When he finished, it resonated perfectly with my vision, and soon, more songs began to flow. Since then, I have managed to record over 12 songs.

I do gospel songs as a ministry rather than a business.