'I found Pastor Kanyari living with seven other women' Betty Bayo narrates being in toxic marriage

Piece by: Elizabeth Ngigi
Lifestyle

Gospel singer and ex-wife to controversial Pastor Victor Kanyari has for the first time spoken out about the shocking exposee by KTN’s Jicho Pevu and Inside Story five years ago.

Speaking on her YouTube channel, Betty says she is now healed, learnt her mistakes and can speak about it.

The two met briefly and withing no time, Betty says she was a wife to Pastor Kanyari.

"I met him after visiting his church and both of us were in troublesome relationship," she said adding that she was in her early 20's.

The Busy Busy hitmaker says she found herself married to Kanyari after her then boyfriend failed to show up at her home yet she had informed her mother about his coming.

"We opened up to each other after meeting and I jokingly asked him to replace the man who had failed me and he agreed," she said. "I was so afraid of what I would tell my mum. I did not know how to handle that rejection."

This was barely two weeks after meeting. When Kanyari visited Betty's mum as the alleged boyfriend, young Betty told her mum that was the man she wanted to marry.

"I did not know him well, even his real names. It was not about his money but I was naive," she said.

" I learnt through that. I did not want a wedding but he wanted. I feared a wedding so much so we moved together in 2011."

At the early days, Betty says Kanyari did not have a problem with her missing service at his church but asked her to be telling people that they held a church wedding at Pastor Nganga's church.

Betty says that after moving in with her ex, she felt insecure as he was living with seven other people in the same house.

"There were so many ladies. I met people who had stayed there for even five years," she said.

"So as a young girl, there was no problem and so I joined in. These girls would come randomly even at night in our bedroom. There was no privacy at all and I started complaining and I ran away while I was pregnant."

Kanyari's mother came at her home and pleaded with her to return to her house which she did. Unfortunately, nothing changed.

"He could sleep on the sofa. I persevered and finally welcomed my daughter," she said.

According to Betty, not once did he ever ask about my pregnancy journey. She was supposed to book appointments to speak to him.

"I would ask to talk to him in the morning and he would tell me he is busy every day for months. We could not discuss anything."

Betty recounts buying clothes of her daughter on the streets after giving birth.

"I did not have a say in that house, I would fight with these ladies until I became tired. They were the one who would choose for him which clothes to wear."

Betty added that a time Kanyari complained that she was bad claiming the church ladies had stopped coming to his church.

"You are behaving wifely and now they have stopped coming to my church," she said.

"He told me his church was losing followers and I told him since I was also earning, I would support his ministry but he despised my hustle saying artistes don't earn."

Betty started going to his church but stopped at some point after she felt uncomfortable.

"One of the things is he would force me to give force information in the church," she said adding that they disagreed and warned him against something he was doing.

She says Kanyari's mum offered to even pay her sh30,000 per week if only she supported the ministry.

"I refused the offer and she said I should not be given money if I don't go to church."

Betty fell into depression as she was also earning but all the money she supported him.

"I gave him millions of my money buy the much he has ever given me was sh 10,000," she said.

Betty went to visit some friends in the UK and that was when she started reviewing her life and after coming back, she rented her house.

Five months later after coming home from an event, she opened her phone and received lots of messages.

" That was during the exposee on KTN. I told God to heal me from the whole saga," she said adding that she was insulted for someone who had cost her life.

"I was forced to speak about things I don't know. I could not judge him that he was stealing because it was his normal life," she said.

During one of the interviews, Betty says he sent her a message asking her who she was representing in that interview.

"The public wanted me to answer as a wife but the person I was speaking about was not even in my life," she said.

Betty says the reason she decided to open up is to encourage someone else.

"Being a celebrity we also make mistakes. Marriage works and its a beautiful thing. I am currently dating and will speak about it when the right time comes."