Pastor Shocks Court with Confession of Counseling Murder Victim Despite Lacking Theological Training
“The deceased confided in me that she was living in a toxic marriage and that her life was in danger over several death threats issued by her estranged husband,” Pastor Favour told Presiding Judge Emily Ominde.
The Late Rael Cherop Biwott, 44, was a Senior Accountant Assistant at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret
A pastor affiliated with New Life International Church, under the leadership of Pastor Ezekiel Odero, shocked an Eldoret court by admitting that he provides counseling and guidance to couples in toxic marriages, despite never having studied at a theological college.
Pastor Timothy Kizili, also known as “Favour,” who leads the church’s Eldoret branch, testified in the murder case against Francis Mwangi Ndirangu. Ndirangu is accused of murdering his estranged wife, 44-year-old Rael Cherop Biwott, a senior assistant accountant in the billing section at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Kizili informed the court that the deceased had joined his church two years ago after leaving Deliverance Church, located along the Eldoret–Iten Highway. He recalled that one Sunday, after service, Biwott confided in him about the turmoil in her marriage.
“The deceased confided in me that she was living in a toxic marriage and that her life was in danger over several death threats issued by her estranged husband,” Pastor Favour told Presiding Judge Emily Ominde.
He further revealed that the couple had reached a point where they “were cooking and sleeping in separate rooms” at their home in Eldoret’s Shauri Estate.
“After I listened to her story, which was disheartening, I decided to offer counseling to her in my church after Sunday service, with a view to reuniting them so that they could live in peace together,” he added, astonishing the court by stating that all sessions were conducted without the husband’s presence.
In his defense, Pastor Favour noted that Ndirangu had only attended the church once, accompanied by his wife and their three children.
Biwott, a mother of four, was reported missing on June 23, 2024. Her dismembered remains were found in multiple locations across Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties between June 24 and 27, 2024. Court documents indicate she was last seen leaving her workplace around 7 p.m. on June 22, 2024, in the company of her husband. Though Ndirangu initially told police they used a matatu, CCTV footage later showed they left in a hired Toyota Succeed.
On June 24, dismembered legs and internal organs were discovered in a gunny bag beside a road in Kapsilegaa, Nandi County. That same day, additional body parts, including her head and upper limbs, were found beside a road in Lamaiyat village, Uasin Gishu County.
Ndirangu filed a missing person report at Eldoret Central Police Station at approximately 6:40 p.m. that evening. A post-mortem examination conducted at MTRH, in the presence of Biwott’s family and their lawyers, revealed she had sustained severe neck injuries and blunt force trauma to the head.
The hearing is ongoing today.
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