Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A 52-YEAR-OLD woman, Chipo Kembo, has turned to the Mutasa community court for relief from her troubled marriage, amid revelations that her hubby, Silver Kembo, suffers from chronic bedwetting, reducing her life to misery through abuse, neglect, and humiliation.
Chipo claims that Silver’s condition, combined with his affinity for abuse, neglect, and humiliating her has made her life miserable.
The most distressing aspect she told the court, is the constant chore of washing urine-soaked blankets, prompting her to seek legal recourse.
“I am tired of this abuse. When he is drunk, he does not wet the bed, but does so when he is sober. I wash them day after day. How can I, at my age, continue staying like this?” lamented Chipo before the court, adding that her husband’s problem has become so humiliating that even their three children are aware of it.
“What kind of respect will my children have for a father who behaves this way? Instead of seeking help, he insults me whenever I bring up the issue. It is painful,” she said.
Chipo also accused her husband of being a drunkard, despite having formerly been a church leader with the Mugodhi Apostolic Church.
“When he is drunk, he does not wet the bed. I do not want to sleep with him,” she said.
Chipo said the bedwetting is only part of a bigger web of abuse she has endured since marrying Kembo in 2006, further claiming that despite working together to build their life, Kembo is now selfishly claiming ownership of all their property.
“We worked together and bought a car, but his son took it. We bought cattle together, yet he sells them willy-nilly. He went to the lands office and obtained a land permit without my name on it. Now he wants to chase me out of the house we built together. I have refused to leave, and so he has moved out, and is now using the courts to kick me out,” she said, further revealing that she had at one point nursed Kembo through sickness and supported him through surgeries.
“When I met him, he was a sick man. I took care of him, stood by him, and helped him get better. Now that he is well, he says I am now useless. Is this how a husband should treat his wife?” she asked tearfully.
She also claimed that Kembo’s eldest son, Norest Kembo, had joined forces with his father to intimidate and abuse her.
Kembo, however, painted a different picture, accusing Chipo of being power-hungry, disrespectful, and greedy for his wealth.
“This woman does not want to accept that I gave her a divorce token. She wants my riches and will stop at nothing to lay her hands on it. She is continuing staying at my farm despite my eviction order,” said Kembo.
The elderly man admitted openly to being a bed wetter, but blamed his condition on his wife.
“She bewitched me. She performed rituals to stop me from performing in bed, and now I suffer erectile dysfunction. Each time I sleep sober, I wet the bed. That is why I drink every day. When I am drunk, I do not wet the bed,” he told the court, drawing gasps from the gallery.
Kembo countered by accusing his wife of double standards.
“She complains when I drink, yet when I am drunk, that is the only time I can satisfy her in bed. However, I no longer want to sleep with her as she causes my erectile dysfunction. When sober, I am unable to perform. What does she really want from me?” he asked.
He further accused his niece of fuelling the conflicts between him and his wife. “My niece is behind all this. She tells my wife she will inherit everything if I die. She is the one pushing my wife to drag me to the police and courts. They want to destroy me,” he alleged.
After hearing both sides, Chief Mutasa expressed disappointment at the couple’s conduct, stating they had turned their marriage into a circus.
“Marriage is supposed to be about respect and unity, but what I have heard today is disgraceful,” he said.
Addressing Kembo directly, Chief Mutasa urged him to seek medical help instead of hiding behind alcohol.
“You are not the first man to face such problems. But instead of drinking yourself into destruction, why not seek treatment? Bedwetting and erectile problems are medical issues. A real man admits his challenges and looks for solutions, not alcohol,” he said.
He also reminded Kembo that traditional law required a divorce token to be handled properly.
“You cannot give a divorce token directly to your wife. It must be handed over through a mediator to her family. What you did is invalid. You remain married to this woman until proper procedure is followed,” ruled Chief Mutasa.
However, the case took another twist when it emerged that the couple had earlier married off their 13-year-old daughter.
This angered the chief, who threatened to hand the matter to the police.
“You are here accusing each other of witchcraft, bedwetting, and drunkenness, yet you had the audacity to marry off a child. That is a serious crime. Both of you should be arrested, and I am sending the police to your home so that this matter is dealt with. We cannot have people marrying off the girl child willy-nilly here in Mutasa,” warned Chief Mutasa.
He ordered the couple to live peacefully while Kembo seeks medical assistance.
He also advised them to stop dragging their children into their marital battles.
“To you, Kembo, stop abusing beer as medicine. To you, Chipo, stop mocking your husband’s condition. Support him if you want peace in your home. If you continue fighting, the law will take its course,” concluded Chief Mutasa.
