A storm of love, faith, and betrayal has spilled into the courts, as Pastor Robert Burale, the stylish Nairobi preacher and motivational speaker, sues his ex-wife, Rozina Mwakideu, and media personality Alex Mwakideu for defamation over a viral YouTube interview that has thrust their long-buried marital wounds into the public eye.
The case, filed before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Nairobi, pits the charismatic pastor against his former wife in a raw replay of a one-year marriage that ended 13 years ago — now revived through emails, text messages, and a disturbing account of secrets, debts, and heartbreak.
According to Rozina’s sworn 36-page affidavit filed in court on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, she is not a bitter ex-wife, but a woman reclaiming her truth after years of silence.
Rozina, a gospel artist and motivational speaker, says their whirlwind romance began 13 years ago and ended abruptly a year and two days later.
In her affidavit, she recounts a troubled marriage marred by “emotional neglect, dishonesty, and unresolved issues.” She writes that she left the union “to save my life and sanity.” “I repeat that my biggest mistake in life was marrying Robert Burale, na si kwa ubaya, and that the darkest period of my life was when I was with Robert Burale,” she swore. “Everything I said in the interview is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
The saga reignited when Burale appeared on Alex Mwakideu TV on September 26, 2025, where, in a nostalgic yet provocative tone, he spoke about his failed marriage, repeatedly referring to Rozina.
“I have not been with a woman since my ex-wife,” he said, his tone somber. If you invite her, let her come and tell her side,” he shared.
Those few words lit the fuse. Viewers flooded the comments asking that Rozina responds. “My appearance was by public demand,” Rozina says in her sworn statement.
Within days, on October 4, 2025, Rozina walked into the same studio, appearing on the same show hosted by her brother, where her ex-husband had spoken — this time on the opposite end of the lens.
What followed was a deeply personal account of her short-lived marriage, her experiences, her regrets, and the pain she says she endured.
“My biggest mistake in life was marrying Robert Burale… The darkest period of my life was when I was with him. I also reiterate that I saw a disturbing video and witnessed money issues during the marriage.”
Within hours, her calm yet candid confessions ignited one of the most polarising conversations in the country’s social media space — love, religion, sexuality, and truth. The video racked up over 800,000 views in 48 hours, sparking fiery debates online.
To some, Rozina was brave, finally speaking her truth after years of silence. To others, she had crossed the line, turning a private breakup into a public spectacle.
Legal showdown
But the storm didn’t end there. On October 21, 2025, Burale filed a defamation suit at the Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court, accusing Rozina and her brother Alex of publishing and circulating false, malicious, and injurious material.
Through lawyer Litwaji Mwale, Burale claims the October 4, 2025 interview contained false and malicious statements portraying him as “manipulative, hypocritical, a swindler, and homosexual.”
He is seeking Sh20 million in general and aggravated damages, as well as orders compelling the deletion of the video, removal of related posts, and a public apology from his ex-wife and her brother.
Burale argues that Rozina’s statements were calculated to injure his reputation both locally and internationally, adding that the video was widely circulated due to Mwakideu’s media influence.
“He knowingly encouraged the wide dissemination of these unverified defamatory statements, further aggravating the damage to my client’s reputation, causing him humiliation and loss of business,” the affidavit states.
Burale notes that during a September 26, 2025 interview on the same YouTube channel, Mwakideu had described him as “a respectable man and a role model who has made an impact in society,” making the defamatory follow-up all the more damaging.
“My name has been dragged through the mud,” reads part of his affidavit. “The statements are false, malicious, and deliberately intended to assassinate my character.”
Rozina, in a replying affidavit, insists the opposite — that her appearance was a constitutionally protected right of reply.
“Having read Burale’s court papers, rewatched the interview, reflected on my words, prayed over the issue, and taken legal advice, I repeat — my truth is my defence,” she told the court.
“It was a fair comment and a justified exercise of my freedom of expression under Article 33.”
Rozina insists she said nothing false. Her affidavit, running over 30 pages, reads like a diary of heartbreak, complete with dated emails, text messages, and what she calls “proof of everything I said.”
“I spoke not from malice but from experience. Everything I said was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” she told the court.
In a trove of emails and texts annexed to her affidavit, Rozina paints a vivid portrait of a troubled union she claims was “marred by emotional neglect, dishonesty, and psychological manipulation.”
“I left the marriage due to irreconcilable differences, lack of conjugal contact, financial issues, emotional neglect, and repeated acts of dishonesty by him,” she says.
“When I left for the third and final time, it was no longer about saving the marriage; it was about life and death. He drove me to the verge of suicide — the darkest place I’ve been.”
One of the most poignant exhibits in her affidavit is an email dated August 22, 2018, sent at 10:28pm, written five years after their separation
In it, Rozina pleads with Burale to stop posting anniversary messages about their short-lived marriage. “This is to ask you, after five years, when will you let it go? You have gone on and on about how you were married and it failed… forever. Must you always update every August 18?”
She accused him of posting misleading anniversary messages that portrayed her as the cause of their failed marriage. “Even after being approached by several media houses to come and tell my side of the story, out of respect I chose to keep quiet and move on… However, now, I kindly ask you. Let it go. It’s enough now. Really. Tafadhali.”
Disturbing video
She warned that continued public references to their marriage might force her to respond one day, with the truth. Among the most shocking claims in the affidavit is Rozina’s account of discovering a “disturbing video” on Burale’s email during their marriage, an episode she says “haunted her for years.”
“I once saw a video in his emails that left me perplexed. Anybody, any man who is straight, would tell him there is no way they would keep a video of two men having sex in their emails,” she says.
When confronted, she says, he dismissed it as “a random video from someone online.”
Burale, in his pleadings, has not yet responded to these specific allegations, but his lawyers have described the entire affidavit as “a calculated character assassination.”
“Burale, in his court papers, takes issue with my reference to a sum of Sh250,000, which he asked me for. It is true that shortly after we met, Burale requested that amount from me. He told me that his late father’s estate was tied up in a succession dispute and that he urgently needed funds to pay lawyers to facilitate the process,” she says.
“I had only known him for about a week, and I politely declined, informing him that I did not have that amount,” she asserted.
She claims she was often contacted by people alleging unpaid debts,” a claim Burale denies.
In earlier interviews and his motivational writings, the pastor has acknowledged going through seasons of financial mismanagement in his youth, but maintains he has long since rebuilt his integrity through ministry and mentorship.
“As a new wife, I constantly received calls from strangers and even police officers informing me that Burale owed people money. The police would threaten me over debts I knew nothing about,” Rozina says in her court papers.
“One time, officers even showed up at church intending to arrest me in an attempt to draw Burale out of hiding. I remember pleading with them, ‘Huyu hata nikujia jamani, msinishike tafadhali!’”
She even recalls an incident, during their marriage where a close friend visited their home for a short stay. “Unbeknownst to me, Burale approached her privately and asked for money, which she gave him on the condition that he repay her promptly. When I later noticed that her visit had lasted longer than we had agreed, I asked about it, and she explained that she was waiting for repayment of the money she lent to Burale before leaving.”
According to her, some debts stemmed from alleged “secret habits” Burale had admitted to in his book and interviews. “He would admit bad debts to sustain a strip club habit,” she states in her affidavit
Solidarity sisters
“After our marriage and the interview, I have received calls and Facebook messages from solidarity sisters who claim that Burale used the same story to solicit money from them.”
Among those she mentions as “solidarity sisters” are women she claims have reached out offering to testify.
In another set of emails dated December 20 to 21, 2013, Rozina recalls exchanging deeply emotional messages with Burale. “I told him I was always alone fighting, always trying and hoping and praying, and that he had given me pain, shame, heartache, and abuses,” she wrote.
“He replied saying he had taken time to reflect on where he went wrong and asked for forgiveness, saying he had too many devils dealing.”
Rozina’s reply was firm; “Forgiving you does not mean me being foolish again. You knew you married me because I was naïve and trusted every word that came out of your mouth.”
Burale, in those same emails, appeared remorseful, writing that he missed her laughter and believed they could have been “a great team and family.”
“He said if he had the chance, he would do things differently and wanted us to share joys and sorrows. But I told him I had moved on,” she wrote.
Rozina’s affidavit portrays her as a survivor of what she calls “psychological and emotional abuse,” seeking to reclaim her voice.
“I fail to see how I would have any reason to fabricate now, particularly when the same sentiments expressed in the interview were those I had already communicated to him during and after our marriage,” she said.
She frames the defamation suit as a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP)”, meant to silence her. “I believe the public interest allows survivors of domestic violence, whether physical, mental, or psychological, to share their stories without fear of unjust reprisals through meritless defamation suits,” she told the court.
No malice
Rozina also annexed recent text exchanges between her and Burale, which she says prove there was no malice in her interview. “He wished me a happy birthday and I asked him to accompany his wishes with money,” she joked in one message.
“He told me that people making certain queries were dangerous and after his life. He even offered me dinner which I declined. These texts, disprove malice and show we were cordial,” she said.
While Burale’s full response is still under consideration, court papers filed earlier describe Rozina’s interview as “malicious, defamatory, and intended to humiliate a servant of God.”
The pastor, known for his eloquent public speaking and mentorship programmes, has maintained that he has “not had sexual relations for 13 years”, a statement he says reflects his commitment to celibacy and not dysfunction, as Rozina suggests.
The Milimani Commercial Chief Magistrate, Thomas Nzyoki, has already issued interim orders barring further publication of the contested interview pending determination of the case.
“Pending hearing and determination of the application, an order for interim injunction is granted to restrain the defendants from further publication of the impugned video in Mwakideu TV or any other social media platform,” ruled Magistrate Nzyoki.
The magistrate, however, dismissed Burale’s request for the removal of related posts until the case is heard and determined.
Magistrate Nzyoki directed the parties to file and exchange written submissions within 30 days, and scheduled a mention for February 25, 2026, to confirm compliance.