Inside Rozina Mwakideu’s explosive 36-page affidavit on marriage to Robert Burale

Gospel singer Rozina Mwakideu has hit back at her ex-husband, Pastor Robert Burale, dismissing his Ksh.20 million defamation suit as a “retaliatory attempt to silence” her truth about their short-lived marriage.

In a detailed 36-page replying affidavit filed before the Milimani Chief Magistrates’ Court, Rozina -  who has been sued alongside her brother and radio host Alex Mwakideu - maintains that everything she said in the October 4, 2025 interview on Alex Mwakideu TV YouTube channel “is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Burale, a pastor and motivational speaker, sought damages and a court order to have the viral interview, titled ‘My Biggest Mistake Was Marrying Robert Burale’, pulled down from YouTube, claiming it defamed him and injured his reputation.

The court on Tuesday declined to grant this request, but barred both Rozina and Alex from publishing or sharing the controversial interview.

In her affidavit, Rozina stands her ground, insisting she only exercised her constitutional right of reply after Burale himself discussed her multiple times in an earlier interview on the same channel.

“My biggest mistake in life was marrying Robert Burale na si kwa ubaya,” she states, adding that the “darkest period of my life was when I was with Robert Burale.”

She further accuses her ex-husband of dishonesty, emotional neglect, and financial impropriety during their one-year marriage, which she says ended thirteen years ago.

“I left the marriage due to irreconcilable differences, lack of conjugal contact, financial issues, emotional neglect, and repeated acts of dishonesty by him,” she avers.

Rozina annexes a series of emails exchanged between the two from 2013 and 2018, in which she says she confronted Burale about what she termed “money issues,” “disturbing material,” and “false public narratives” about their marriage.

In one email dated August 22, 2018, she wrote to Burale asking him to stop posting about their failed marriage: “I kindly ask you. Let it go. It’s enough now. Really. Tafadhali… I may have to respond one of these days. And you know me. I will tell the truth. ONLY THE TRUTH. It won’t be naked. Just TRUTH.”

The singer accuses the pastor of repeatedly using social media to push “skewed” stories about their relationship, forcing her to speak out publicly.

“My appearance on the show was therefore a right of reply and is constitutionally protected speech,” she argues.

Rozina also claims that following her interview, several women reached out with similar accounts of alleged deceit and financial exploitation, adding that some were willing to testify in court.

“In solidarity, these women have come forward expressing their willingness to testify regarding their personal experiences,” she says, naming a number of individuals.

She insists her tone during the interview was calm and reflective, not malicious: “Any reasonable viewer would interpret my remarks as personal reflections on my lived experience, not as factual allegations impugning the Plaintiff’s moral or professional character.”

Rozina dismisses Burale’s request for wide-ranging court orders, including prohibiting all social media users from sharing or commenting on the video, as “orders in vain.”

She stated that the suit amounts to a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) meant to intimidate her and other survivors of domestic or psychological abuse from sharing their experiences.

“I beseech the court to dismiss Burale’s application,” she pleads, adding, “I have moderated my response even in this affidavit.”

The case is set for mentioning on February 25, 2026.