It was meant to be a story of love and faith. Instead, for gospel minister Rozinah Mwakideu, her marriage to motivational speaker and pastor Robert Burale became what she now calls “the darkest period” of her life.
Speaking in a raw and emotional interview on her brother Alex Mwakideu’s YouTube show, Rozinah recounted her short-lived marriage to Burale, revealing how the relationship — which lasted barely a year — left her wounded and questioning her own judgement.
“My mother had warned me and said she saw darkness in that marriage,” she said quietly. “Looking back, I can say the biggest mistake of my life was marrying Robert Burale. The darkest period of my life was when I was with him.”
A Marriage That Lasted Just a Year
Rozinah said she met Burale in 2011 and married him in August 2012, only to separate after “one year and two days.” At the time, she was living in Mombasa and frequently travelled to Nairobi to visit her brother, Alex.
During one of those trips, she said Burale offered to pick her up — but instead of taking her to her brother’s home, he drove her to his family house in Karen.
“I told him I wanted to go to my brother’s place,” she recalled, “but he took me to his home. I ended up staying there for almost a month.”
The arrangement, she said, felt more controlling than romantic. “We stayed in the same room and shared a bed but remained celibate,” she explained. “His mother was kind to me, but I began to notice lies and manipulation.”
When she asked to visit her brother, Burale often delayed it, telling her she would go “tomorrow.” That tomorrow, she said, never came.
“That’s when I realised he didn’t intend for me to leave,” she said. “To this day, I still wonder why he married me. I don’t think it was out of love.”
Warnings and Red Flags
Before the wedding, Rozinah said she received anonymous messages and social media warnings from people cautioning her about Burale’s character. When she raised the issue, Burale allegedly dismissed them as rumours from jealous people.
“No woman would reject genuine love from a man,” she said. “But his actions never matched his words.”
Despite her doubts — and her late mother’s warnings — Rozinah went ahead with the marriage. Within months, she said, she felt emotionally drained and trapped.
The Attempt to Leave
At one point, she said, she decided to leave the relationship for good. One day, when both Burale and his mother were away, she packed her belongings and called a taxi using a number she had gotten from Burale’s mother.
But her escape was cut short. “One of his cousins saw me and called him,” she said. “Moments later, he appeared at the gate. The taxi driver left, and I broke down crying because I was ready to go.”
She believes Burale wanted to keep her from discovering things about his life that he did not want her to know. “I might be wrong,” she said, “but I think he wanted to control what I saw and who I spoke to.”
Burale’s Version of Events
Burale, a preacher and public speaker, has previously given his own account. In a 2018 interview, he said the marriage ended due to poor communication and lack of time together, describing the split as painful but mutual.
He has not publicly responded to Rozinah’s latest comments, and efforts to reach him for clarification were unsuccessful.
Healing and Forgiveness
Now aged 50, Rozinah says she has found peace after years of reflection. Her faith, she says, helped her heal and forgive — even if the past still lingers.
“It was a dark time, but I’ve healed,” she said. “I don’t hate him. I just wish I had listened to my mother.”
Her story has since sparked an outpouring of reactions online, with many praising her honesty while others have urged restraint, noting that every story has two sides.
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