The Matero Local Court has officially dissolved a 19-year-old marriage after shocking revelations that a Kingdom Hall elder had an illicit affair with the wife of his own fellow congregant.
Offrin Muyaya, a 44-year-old truck driver of Kabanana, told Magistrate Harriet Mulenga that he could no longer live with his wife, Mildred Kunda, after she admitted to sleeping with elder Angel Simwanza—a man Muyaya once considered both a brother in faith and a trusted friend.
Tearfully, Muyaya narrated how his wife suddenly broke down one day, apologised, and confessed her betrayal. “I was devastated. I trusted her fully. After hearing what she did, I realised I could no longer continue in this marriage,” he told the court.
The marriage, blessed with four children, had lasted nearly two decades, but for Muyaya the wound was too deep to forgive.
On her part, 38-year-old Mildred openly admitted to committing adultery with elder Simwanza but explained that loneliness and neglect pushed her into the act. She said her husband had starved her of intimacy for almost five years due to his constant travels as a truck driver, while also failing to provide adequately for the family.
“In my desperation, I found myself in the arms of elder Simwanza,” Mildred confessed, adding that guilt later overwhelmed her, leading her to not only admit her sin before her husband but also publicly before the congregation at their Kingdom Hall.
Court proceedings heard that elder Simwanza, who was supposed to be a spiritual guide, had instead abandoned his Awake! and Watchtower magazines to indulge Mildred in what was described as a “paradisal experience” far from biblical standards.
However, Muyaya rejected any calls for forgiveness and insisted on divorce, prompting Magistrate Mulenga to terminate the union without awarding compensation to either party.
In her ruling, Magistrate Mulenga sternly rebuked both Mildred and the elder. “As a married woman, Mildred, you had choices. Turning to adultery was not the solution. And for a church leader who preaches against sin to be the one indulging in it is shocking and disappointing. I fear for the integrity of your congregation,” she said.
The magistrate further reminded Muyaya that he too contributed to the downfall of the marriage by neglecting his wife and failing to meet his marital responsibilities.
Muyaya was ordered to support the couple’s four children with a monthly maintenance of K2,500.
