- His friends describe him as a passionate believer and father figure who natured many to ministry and inspired many to the faith
- He met and married his wife Rose on June 3, 1961 and has raised three sons who live in the U.S.A
Are you disillusioned by whatever social and economic circumstance and contemplated suicide? Consider late pioneer evangelist Joseph Kayo’s life.
At 12 years, Kayo was orphaned and thought life would be done for him. He dropped from school at primary six and endured a life of hardships. He tried to take his own life three times without success.
Worse off, Kayo entered crime in his bid to make ends meet.
Born in 1937 in Nyamira county, the man would go ahead and live for decades only to die from natural causes early this month, aged 86.
He met and married his wife Rose on June 3, 1961 and has raised three sons who live in the U.S.A.
He was buried on November 16. The family has refrained from speaking to press, asking for privacy.
In February 1957, Kayo got sick and was hospitalised in Mombasa. The ailment took toll of him with doctors believing he would not make it.
It took being wheeled to an evangelistic crusade later that year in Mombasa town, graced by renowned preacher T.L Osborne for his life to turn around.
The TL Osborn Mombasa crusade was the first evangelistic crusade in the city. It was hosted by the Pastor of Elim church, Bud Sickler, an American missionary who had just moved to Mombasa from Kuria, Migori county.
Kayo not only got healed from his sickness, but also surrendered his life to Jesus, a move that changed his destiny for good.
He told his faithfuls that it was this meeting that changed his life because he received the strong inspiration and calling to get into evangelical mission.
“God literally rescued me from my death bed. Medicine had failed, it only took the hand of God. He not only gave back my life, but also gave me a ministry, a life long vocation,” Kayo told his congregants during one of his services at city hall.
He started his preaching outfit in August 1957 at the Coast. This is how the Deliverance church started. Kayo would go on to plant the church both in Kenya and Uganda. He left the church in 1978 over unclear disagreements with his fellow ministers but continued preaching.
Over the year, he fashioned himself as a Pentecostal charismatic firebrand who has touched many lives with his inspiration messages and preparing self for the afterlife.
James Mungai, who became a committed christian and a pentecostal preacher after listening to Kayo in 2004, told the Star the man's life long ministry was a perfect embodiment of rising from weakness to much success.
"Our father Kayo perfectly signified that if you believe in God, he gives you beauty in place of ashes. Kayo was an orphaned school dropout who turned to crime in Mombasa only later to become sick and dying before he met Jesus who turned his life around. It shows you can actually bounce back with the help of God after people write you off," he said.
Bishop Sammy Gitaari describes him as the "Pentecostal preacher who made sense."
"Being a staunch Roman Catholic, when I heard him preach, I did not get saved, but later I did. He is a pioneer, I respect him. Since I began to relate to him, my life and ministry has dramatically changed, he is a great friend."