In a horrific incident that has shocked the community, a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer brutally murdered an Anglican priest in Kapsabet town, Nandi. The victim, Rev. James Kemei, 43, was caught in bed with the officer’s wife, a lay reader at St. Barnabas Church in Kapsabet.
Rev. Kemei had visited the woman’s home, unaware that her husband had set a trap. The KDF officer, alerted to the priest’s presence, stealthily returned home that night. He concealed himself in a room without the knowledge of his wife and her lover.

As the couple retired to bed, the officer emerged from his hiding place and attacked with a vengeance. He severely beat Rev. Kemei, immobilizing him. In a fit of rage, he fractured his wife’s hand and subjected the clergyman to unimaginable torture, driving nails into his spine.

Neighbors reported to The Star that the officer forced his wife to witness the priest’s mutilation, cutting off his genitals. An anonymous caller alerted the police around 3 AM on Thursday, according to Nandi Police Commander Dickens Njogu. However, it was only after Rev. Nillah Bassy, Provost of St. Barnabas Pro-Cathedral, filed a formal report that police officers intervened.

Rev. Kemei was rushed to Kapsabet Level 5 Hospital in critical condition but was later transferred to Top Hill Hospital in Eldoret, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The KDF officer fled the scene, and the police have notified his superiors.

The wife, also critically injured, disappeared and is believed to have sought medical treatment at a private hospital. She has not yet reported to the police.