A portrait of Rachel Biwott, a resident of Kiplombe, Uasin Gishu County, who went missing on June 22 after leaving work.
A pastor with New Life International Church has narrated to an Eldoret court how his efforts to counsel an estranged couple failed, eventually resulting in the husband killing his wife.
Pastor Timothy Kizili, alias ‘Favour,’ testified on Wednesday in a murder case where Francis Mwangi Ndirangu is charged with killing his wife, Rachel 'Rael' Cherop Biwott.
Pastor's testimony
Pastor Timothy Kizili alias ‘Favour' of New Life International Church Eldoret branch, outside Eldoret High Court on June 11, after testifying in a murder case.
The deceased was an accountant at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret.
New Life International Church, which is led by televangelist Pastor Ezekiel Odero, advocates for the reconciliation of separated couples and the mending of broken marriages.
But according to the Eldoret-based pastor, the more he counselled the couple, the more toxic their relationship became.
Ms Biwott, 44, was reported missing on June 23, 2024, and her dismembered body parts were discovered in multiple locations across Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties on June 24 and June 27.
According to court documents, the deceased, who was a mother of four, was last seen leaving her workplace at around 7 pm on June 22, 2024, accompanied by her husband.
Tragically, she never made it home that evening.
Gruesome discovery
Despite Ndirangu’s initial statement to police that they took a matatu home, CCTV footage later revealed they had left in a Toyota Succeed vehicle that he had hired.
On the afternoon of June 24, some of her dismembered body parts were found stuffed in a gunny bag along a road in Kapsilegaa, Motwot village in neighbouring Nandi County. These included her legs and internal organs wrapped in a polythene bag.
Rachael Cherop Biwott, a senior accountant at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, who was allegedly murdered by her husband, Francis Mwangi, on June 22, 2024.
More horrifying scenes were discovered later that day when additional body parts, including her head and upper limbs, were found dumped along a road in Lamaiyat village in Uasin Gishu County.
It was not until 6.40 pm that day that Mr Ndirangu reported his wife missing at Eldoret Central Police Station.
A postmortem conducted at Moi Teaching Hospital in the presence of the victim’s family and legal representatives revealed that Ms Biwott had suffered severe neck injuries and blunt force trauma to the head.
Pastor Kizili told the court that the couple had deep-seated domestic issues. The court heard they cooked separately and slept in different rooms, even though they continued to live under the same roof.
The pastor narrated that at one point, the deceased was part of a group from his church that attended a week-long crusade in Mombasa organised by televangelist Ezekiel.
“The deceased was a devoted member of my church. When I organised a crusade trip to Mombasa convened by my boss, Pastor Ezekiel, I included her in the delegation from our church,” he told Presiding Judge Emily Ominde.
According to the pastor, the deceased had joined his church two years earlier from Deliverance Church. By then, the couple who lived in Shauri Estate on the outskirts of Eldoret were already experiencing serious marital problems.
Wife's fear
He said Ms Biwott had approached him for counselling after confiding in him about her marital tribulations. During the sessions, she told him that her life was in danger due to constant threats from her husband.
“The deceased confided in me that she was in a toxic marriage and that her husband kept threatening her with death,” Pastor Kizili told the court.
He added that the counselling sessions were conducted in the absence of the husband, who had only attended one church service with his wife and their three children.
“Her story was disheartening. I offered counselling in hopes of reuniting them so that they could live peacefully and enjoy their marriage,” he said.
Hearing of the case continues.
