Bishop Dinah Lisero is a gospel artiste and preacher with seven churches in different countries. She told her story to the Sunday Standard narrating how her family, including her ex-husband, rejected her during a time of turbulence:
Tell us a bit about your upbringing.
I come from a humble background, born in a family of 12 children. However, five children passed on and only seven are still alive. My father died when I was very young and that barred me from going to school. I am illiterate and Kiswahili is the only language I can speak. My upbringing was tough. When my father died, his family took everything, leaving my mother with only a piece of land which she couldn’t access as it did not have a title deed. My mother was a housewife but due to the difficulties we faced, she had to toil on other people’s shambas for survival. Personally, I started working as a house girl at age 12.
What was your experience working as a house girl?
Life wasn’t easy working at that tender age. The person I worked for in Uthiru made my life a living in hell. She was ruthless and never cared if I got tired. She paid me only Sh300 per month. But I persevered until I turned 18 years old.
What direction did your life take after becoming an adult?
I met up with a man whom I thought loved me but unfortunately, he really tormented me. We were in a relationship for a short period that ended in marriage. Our marriage wasn’t rosy as such, were always fighting but deep inside me I thought he would change so I kept on praying for him. Having been in church since childhood, I stayed in that troubled marriage until I established my own church, which attracted a number of followers. It was doing well until when the devil used my ex-husband to dismantle it to a point I had to shut it.
What did he do?
He started an affair with another woman. One day he woke up and took off, without informing me where he was going. I continued with my ministry and when he noticed that his actions had not fazed me, he decided to get into sexual relations with my church members. He then started inciting them to leave the church, while telling them that I was using dark powers to attract members. In that turbulence, I lost so many church members to a point I used to worship with my children alone.
What happened next?
My husband took our kids and transferred them to an unknown location without informing me. I suffered during that period! People rejected me, including my immediate family. He incited my children telling them that I was a bad mother. They would write letters expressing their bitterness towards me. My mother never wanted to hear anything concerning me and I was left alone to fight with my own shadow. He also corrupted my siblings, especially my elder brother who never wanted anything to do with me.
How did you overcome all this?
One day I woke up and decided to search for my children. I didn’t know where to start but I told myself that I would rather die searching than wait for their return. I was depressed and frustrated. Nevertheless, I embarked on a search with no clue of their whereabouts and without any money to ferry me around.
What was your breakthrough?
That day as I walked blindly wondering where to start, I grew weak and tired. A certain lady spotted me from a distance and noticed that I was gong to faint. But before she reached where I was, I collapsed and lost consciousness. She took me to her house in Lucky Summer estate and took good care of me until I recovered. From there I was able to contact one of my brothers who helped to get a lawyer who would help me get back my children.
Was your husband compelled to bring back the children?
Yes, he was summoned to court but as usual, he never had anything good to say about me. He tried to paint me as a bad mother but when he was asked to name three people to back up his statements, the three people he chose sided with me and I got reunited with my children.
Was the church open during this time?
No, I had closed it. I separated from my husband, reconciled with my family, then reopened the church. It is there that I met the love of my life who took my children in as his own, and we got married. As we speak, my church has seven branches in different countries and my children are well-educated. The last-born child is in secondary school. I have also produced several songs that have brought me to the limelight and helped spread my ministry.
What lessons have you learnt from your experience?
That God is faithful. Never give up, and remember that every individual has their day of being blessed.
