Pastor killed after being caught in bed with soldier's wife

Hands of a preacher holding a rosary and Bible. [iStockphoto]

An illicit relationship between two church leaders turned tragic when a clergyman lost his life following an attack by the woman’s husband, a military officer, in Nandi County.

The faithful of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) were shocked to learn of the incident after the military officer, who had laid a trap, stormed in on the two during the act in his house. Following the June 20th incident, locals are still in disbelief after a member of the clergy, identified as Rev. James Kemei, was killed in the house of a female church member, reported to be a lay reader at the same church station.

Rev. James was stationed at St. Barnabas ACK Church in Kapsabet town. It is claimed that the now suspected killer, who is a KDF officer and husband to the female cleric, got a tipoff from his younger brother that his sister-in-law had been hanging around with the man of God. Their relationship was suspected to be far beyond church matters and bordered on a romance that had brewed for close to two years.

According to neighbours who are familiar with the family that resides in Kokwet Estate in Kapsabet, the KDF officer had raised concerns over the closeness of James and his wife, the mother of three children.

Last week, while the military officer was at his base at Moi Barracks, he reportedly got information that a church leader was in his matrimonial home, prompting him to make an impromptu return. The police report indicated that he accosted his wife and the man of God, who had locked themselves in a guest house within the compound.

County Police boss Dickens Njogu narrated that the suspect immobilized Rev. James by clobbering his legs with a blunt object, and thereafter subjected him to brutal torture.

The enraged officer also turned to his wife, fracturing her left hand, squeezing her genitals, and inflicting critical head injuries.

Salim, a neighbour, told The Nairobian that the suspect thereafter took the clergyman to Kapsabet County Referral Hospital in the early morning hours, where he handed Rev. James over to the medical staff in the casualty section.

“He then came back and picked up his wife, who had sustained hand and head injuries. She was treated and discharged,” Salim said, claiming the officer proceeded to Moi Barracks Eldoret before dawn.

Rev. James was in critical condition and was referred to one of the private hospitals in Eldoret, where he succumbed to his injuries hours later.

“We have very scanty details on the incident, and the DCI has taken over the investigation,” Njogu said. Rev. Kemei is from Simat in the Uasin Gishu area and had been moved to Sang’alo parish in Mosop East from Kapsabet.