Francis Opiyo, a church elder, was scheduled to deliver a sermon at Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Church in Ramoya Village, Homa Bay County on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
But Elder Opiyo did not live long enough to preach to the congregation. On the same holy grounds he had knelt repeatedly to worship his God he now knelt, this time holding his chest in desperation as blood oozed out, dying.
The man who allegedly ended Opiyo's religious journey was his long-time friend, relative, neighbour and a fellow church elder by the name Felix Ojwang.
According to Quinter Auma, Opiyo's wife of 14 years, the morning service at the church had just ended.
"We were having a song service after the Sabbath school. The elders were outside preparing for the next session," she recalled.
Quinter Ouma narrates how she witnessed her husband Francis Opiyo being fatally stabbed inside their church on February 1, 2025 in Homa Bay County on Saturday.
Photo credit: George Odiwour | Nation Media Group
Her husband, she said, was seated on the front row next to the altar while she occupied a seat on the second last row near the entrance.
"Suddenly Ojwang, who was sitting right behind me, stood and ran towards the pulpit where my husband was. The next thing I saw was Opiyo falling on the floor next to the pulpit as women and children screamed," recounted Ms Auma.
Auma explained that at first, she did not understand what had transpired until she saw her husband lying on the floor in a pool of blood.
Family and friends gather at the home of Francis Opiyo in Ramoya Village in Suba South in Homa Bay County on February 2,2025. Opiyo, a church deacon at Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Church was stabbed stabbed to death by a fellow church member.
Photo credit: George Odiwour | Nation Media Group
"People were running helter-skelter while shouting and screaming. I was very confused, I didn't know what to do. He tried to walk but only managed two steps before he collapsed," she said.
According to Daniel Odari, a church member, the commotion started while he was outside the church building.
"I was with the other elders when I heard screams coming from inside the church. We rushed towards the entrance but the people inside were running out terrified," Odari said.
As the church members were still coming to terms with what had transpired, the suspect ran to the home of Samba Sub-location Assistant Chief Lucas Onyango.
Church elder stabs fellow elder in alleged love triangle
"He told me that he needed help, even before I could greet him," said Onyango.
The administrator said he was still not aware of what had transpired at the church until the suspect disclosed to him that he had “bruised” a man and was seeking help.
"He said he used a knife to attack another person. I did not hesitate and decided to escort him to Magunga Police Station to record statement," Onyango said.
While at the station, the assistant chief said a group of people arrived to report that Opiyo had died after being rushed to Magunga Sub-county Hospital in critical condition.
"That's when I realised that Ojwang had committed a murder. But the police had already taken him into custody," Onyango said.
News about the death of the church elder soon spread across the village like wildfire. An irate mob decided to punish the suspect by setting his house on fire.
When the house was engulfed in flames, the mob moved to his parents’ home in an attempt to burn it too but the family pleaded with them for mercy.
Onyango said he reached out to security officers at Magunga Police Station who rushed to the scene and secured the home before any property was damaged.
According to Ms Auma, her husband's suspected killer had approached her several times to complain that the deceased was involved in an illicit love affair with his wife.
"But when I confronted my husband he dismissed the claims as baseless. I did not pursue the matter with him any further, despite his accuser relentlessly threatening to take unspecified action against him," she said.
Ebenezer SDA Church in Ramoya Village, Suba South in Homa Bay County where a church elder was stabbed to death on on February 1, 2025.
Photo credit: George Odiwour | Nation Media Group
"I would pray over the matter all the time, in church, at home hoping that it will finally end without bloodshed," she said.
She disclosed that her husband and his alleged killer were close relatives who belonged to the same clan.
"My husband actually calls him uncle," she said.
Opiyo was a farmer and would cultivate crops which he sold to feed his family and pay fees for his four children.
Leah Akech, the deceased's sister-in-law, said the matter could have been resolved peacefully only if the villagers had stopped speaking about it in hushed tones and addressed it head-on.
"The affair started a long time ago but no one wanted to solve it. It could have been dealt without loss of life had someone intervened and brought a truce between the two," she said.
Opiyo and Ojwang were ordained elders at Ebenezer SDA church. According to information on a notice board inside the church, Opiyo was scheduled to preach again on March 8 and March 29.
Opiyo had also been ordained as the church's head deacon for the year 2025. His duties included overseeing the management of the church's property.
Besides, the position also allowed him to preach to members of the congregation. Odari said that sometimes the deceased would operate the public address system at the place of worship.
"Whenever he was not performing other activities, he would sit in front to ensure the sound system worked without a hitch," he said.
While confirming the incident, Suba South Police Commander Caxton Ndunda, said that detectives were already interrogating the suspect and would present him in court on Monday.
"I wish they could have even informed the area chief who would have assisted in addressing the matter. This should not have led to death," the police commander said.
The body of the deceased was moved to St Camillus Hospital Mortuary in Sori Town, Migori County.
