Dennis Okari opens up on divorce with Betty Kyallo
Media personality Dennis Okari has opened up about his highly-publicized divorce from his ex-wife Betty Kyallo.
Speaking at the Daughters of Zion (DOZ) meeting, held at the Jubilee Christian Church (JCC) on June 24, 2023, Okari shared the emotional toll, challenges, and personal growth he experienced during the difficult period.
Okari, who was married to Betty Kyallo for six months, expressed the profound impact divorce had on his life, highlighting the unforeseen struggles that come with such a decision.
He emphasized that divorce is not a choice anyone enters a marriage expecting to make and acknowledged the misconceptions surrounding it.
“Nothing can ever prepare you for divorce. You can watch movies and be led to believe it is an easy decision where you just walk in and walk out.
I didn’t get married to get divorced, and no one enters marriage with the intention of divorcing.
The idea of falling in love, getting into a relationship, and getting married was a flawed perception because love is more than emotions; it is a choice.
It’s about choosing the person you will spend the next 30 or 40 years with, every single day. Unfortunately, that was not my reality, and it was a painful experience,” Okari shared during the event.
Using a powerful analogy, Okari described his divorce by holding up five women, symbolizing the various battles he faced.
In the middle, he visualized himself with a Bible in one hand and divorce papers in the other, caught between a legal battle, a personal struggle, a public scrutiny, and a spiritual challenge.
“I found myself so squeezed in the midst of that divorce that I couldn’t breathe. It was an extremely unpleasant experience. I was facing a legal battle that involved financial costs and the well-being of our children.
As the firstborn in my family, where my parents are still together, I had no reference point for divorce. The feeling of shame, judgment, and the weight of failure were overwhelming.
I slipped into depression, anger, and emotions I never knew existed within me,” Okari revealed, shedding light on the emotional turmoil he encountered.
The media personality also opened up about the public pressure and scrutiny he faced during this challenging time.
Okari expressed how his every move and public appearance were subjected to judgment and assumptions.
“Publicly, I had to maintain a strong facade. I couldn’t simply go to restaurants or walk freely without feeling the weight of people’s judgments.
Everyone seemed to have an opinion, assuming that I must have been at fault.
Behind the scenes, I fought a spiritual battle, as the scriptures clearly address divorce. This was the point where I felt isolated, with people taking sides.
Anger and depression consumed me, and I even reached a point where I contemplated ending my life,” Okari confessed.
Sharing a deeply personal moment, Okari recounted a night when he contemplated crashing his car on Mombasa Road and even considered taking a lethal dose of medication.
However, he highlighted that it was during this dark time that he found solace in his faith.
“I never imagined I would find myself in that state, but the voices in my head pushed me to the brink.
While driving on Mombasa Road, I fixated on a boulder that had always been there, but that night, it was as if I could see it for the first time.
In that desperate moment, God spoke to me, urging me to look up to Him. It was then that I learned the power of surrendering to God,” Okari shared, emphasizing the transformative impact faith had on his journey to healing.
In a bittersweet reflection, Okari acknowledged his efforts to salvage his marriage but ultimately admitted defeat.
He expressed the pain of being labeled a divorcee and feeling as though he had failed his family, his siblings, and himself.
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