Controversial Pastor Victor Kanyari has broken his silence with a cryptic Facebook post calling himself ‘stupid’ for being ‘harmless.’
The preacher’s emotional outburst comes just two months after the tragic death of gospel star Betty Bayo from leukaemia.
Tensions have exploded over the custody of the couple’s two children, Sky and Victor, who currently remain with their stepfather, Hiram Gitau.
Just weeks after telling his congregation that he had “surrendered his battles to God,” the Salvation Healing Ministry founder has made a shocking U-turn, suggesting his peaceful approach was a massive mistake.
In a cryptic, post on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, Kanyari lashed out at his own restraint.
“The quiet Kanyari… Harmless Kanyari!!!!! “Stupid me,” he wrote.
The brief but loaded message has sent shockwaves through the Kenyan gospel industry, with many believing the “harmless” era of Pastor Kanyari is officially over as a bitter custody war looms.
The roots of Kanyari’s regret lie in the devastating events of November 10, 2025, when his former partner and mother of his children, Betty Bayo, passed away following a rapid battle with leukaemia.
While the pair had been separated for over a decade, they maintained a co-parenting relationship.
However, since the funeral, a massive “tug-of-war” has broken out between Kanyari and Betty’s husband, Hiram Gitau (Tash), over where the children should live.
Last month, Kanyari publicly argued that as the biological father, he deserved priority in raising Sky and Victor.
Despite his claims that he has secured a “comfortable home” for them, the children currently remain in the care of their stepfather, Tash.
In late December 2025, Kanyari admitted to his followers that the situation was weighing heavily on him, even suggesting that the children were being “influenced” against him.
“Vile naona, itabidi nizae watoto wengine tu (The way I see it, I’ll just have to have other children),” he lamented in a somber sermon.
“These ones, if you call them when you are sick, they just say you’ll get well.”
The drama hasn’t been without controversy. Kanyari was recently forced to apologize after making derogatory remarks about the family of the late John DeMathew while trying to compare their custody arrangements to his own.
The apology was reportedly rejected by DeMathew’s widow, further isolating the preacher.
As 2026 begins, the “quiet” Kanyari seems to have vanished. If his latest outburst is anything to go by, the preacher is preparing to trade his bible for a legal brief as he fights to bring his children home.
