Residents of Emachembe Village in Kakamega County witnessed a dramatic and shocking incident when a pastor based in Kakamega surrendered his wife to a man he caught in the act of adultery in their matrimonial bed. The man was subsequently tied with ropes to a tree by angry family members and neighbors from the early hours of the morning.
Harrison Olumbe, a pastor of the African Divine Church (ADC) in Kakamega, claimed that he had gone to attend a funeral of a church member in the neighboring Navakholo constituency at night. During the funeral, he received a phone call from one of his brother’s children, informing him that his wife was not alone in their house.
According to Olumbe, he had informed his wife about offering spiritual support to a bereaved church member. However, he was shocked to learn that his wife had called another man and was engaged in infidelity in their home. The illicit activity had taken place in their bed, and Olumbe’s brother’s sons had caught the two in the act after hearing noises from the bedroom. When his wife refused to open the door, they sought help from others, resulting in the man being tied to a tree by the time Olumbe returned around 6 am.
Devastated by the betrayal, Olumbe found his family and residents gathered in his compound, with the man from a neighboring area tied to a tree. Despite his anger, Olumbe decided to follow what he believed was the biblical principle and handed over his wife to the man, wishing them a happy life together.
Before letting them go, Olumbe gave the couple a thorough beating, emphasizing that he would no longer live with his unfaithful wife. He insisted that he married a wife to be faithful and fully committed to him alone, expressing confidence that God would provide him with another good wife.
Moses Atswenje, the father of the pastor, was called by his grandsons to intervene and confirm the identity of the person inside his son’s house. The elders interrogated the man, who admitted to the affair lasting for the last two months. They decided to tie him to a tree as an example, and elders called for rituals to cleanse the young men from any spiritual consequences of witnessing their “mother” in such a compromising situation.
Ultimately, the families signed a peace treaty, and an agreement was reached for the suspect to take the woman as his wife. Despite the signing, the cheating wife managed to escape through a maize plantation, but the man agreed to fulfill the pastor’s decision and take the woman as his wife. Residents, including Isaac Murumba, supported the pastor’s choice, expressing the need to avoid further shame in the community.
