Unique way Betty Bayo met Hiram Gitau in a love story rooted in prayer and friendship

Before her sudden death in November 2025, gospel artiste Betty Bayo often spoke openly about the milestones that shaped her life, from her rise in ministry to the deeply personal experiences that transformed her family and faith.

Among the stories she cherished most was the unexpected way she met her husband, Hiram Gitau, also known as Tash, a man who entered her life long after the turbulence of her public separation from Salvation Healing Ministries head pastor Victor Kanyari, with whom she shared two children, Dani and Sky Victor.

It was a story rooted in prayer, innocence, and divine timing, and one she shared in detail months after her traditional wedding ceremony in December 2021.

Speaking during an interview with Kameme FM’s Muthoni Wa Kirumba, popularly known as Baby Top, in February of 2022, Betty narrated that her journey to meeting Tash began in the most ordinary yet life-changing way.

She explained that the journey started during one of her prayer programmes, where she and her team would share testimonies from listeners to encourage others who were going through difficult moments.

After airing a particular story on that day, they released a contact for people who wished to share their experiences directly.

She said that among the many messages she received afterwards came persistent texts from an unfamiliar number belonging to the man she would later fall in love with.

“There was a time when we used to conduct prayers and share people’s stories on air. One day, after airing a story, we gave out our number and asked listeners who wished to share their experiences to contact us. That is how Tash got my number,” she said.

Betty said he often sent scriptures from the Book of Ecclesiastes, and she began to notice that he used biblical verses to express interest, something she found both amusing and disarming.

She noted that although she did not immediately take him seriously, his consistency prompted her to respond to one of the messages.

According to her, he then asked whether he could call her, before later requesting a video call to confirm that he was speaking to the real Betty.

“After he obtained it, I began receiving many messages from that particular number. He would send verses like, ‘Read the Scripture in Ecclesiastes.’ He was using the Bible to court me, and I said that if someone is using Scripture to woo me, then I would respond to his messages. When I finally replied, he asked whether he could call me, and later, whether he could video call me to confirm that it was truly me,” Betty shared.

She said the video call caught her completely unaware, as she was at home with her hair undone, and she had always suspected that his online profile might have been fake.

However, after seeing him on camera, she became convinced that he was genuine and not pretending to be someone he was not.

“At that time, we did not know each other at all. His video call caught me unaware because my hair was not done and I was simply at home. Based on his profile picture, I used to think he was one of those people who normally use fake profiles. I had not believed it was him until he video called me. When he called, I was satisfied that he was genuine,” Betty said.

Prayers for peace

Betty explained that at that point in her life, she was praying for peace rather than excitement, and she desired a partner who would understand her journey as a mother.

She believed that an older man would probably bring more stability and less pressure, and she often reminded herself that it was better to remain alone than to rush into stress.

She narrated that her early conversations with Tash were cautious, and she did not invest emotionally too early.

“At that point in my life, I was looking for a husband and I did not want any stress at all. I used to say that even an older person was fine as long as he did not bring me problems. I told myself that instead of unnecessary stress, it was sometimes better to abstain altogether.”

Dani’s intervention

However, this changed unexpectedly when her son Dani, walked in while she was speaking to Tash and casually introduced himself.

She recalled that Dani boldly told Tash that she had promised him a bicycle almost ten years earlier and that he had never received it.

According to Betty, Tash asked her what Dani meant, and she explained that the bicycle was simply not a priority at the time.

She said Tash immediately offered to buy the bicycle, and he fulfilled the promise the same day, leaving Dani delighted and eager to have Tash’s number so that they could remain in touch.

“When I used to speak with Tash as he was trying to court me, I was not deeply invested yet. I remember my son Dani came into the room while I was on a call with Tash, and he greeted him, saying, ‘My name is Dani Victor and this is my mother, and you are very cute. My mother promised me a bicycle, and it has been almost ten years, and I have not seen it. Please tell her to buy me the bicycle.’ Dani did not even know who I was speaking to,” Betty narrated.

The ’11^th Hour’ crooner said that from that moment, Tash began forming a bond not just with her but with her children as well.

She added that his ability to connect with them made her more comfortable, and he soon became part of their daily lives.

She revealed that she often found herself updating him about her day and opening her heart to him because he made their friendship feel natural and safe.

“When he bought Dani the bicycle, my son was so happy and insisted on having Tash’s number so they could be friends. Tash became very close with my children, and that is also how we developed our friendship. He became part of my family to the extent that it felt as though I was reporting to him every day. He became such a close friend that I found myself opening up to him, even though I had promised not to fall so quickly. We remained friends for over a year,” Betty shared.

Betty explained that although she had promised herself not to fall too quickly, they remained close friends for more than a year before Tash finally gathered the courage to express that he wanted to marry her.

She said she did not respond immediately but instead took time to pray, asking God to give her a husband who had lived life, fathered children, and would understand all she had been through without questioning her past.

“Eventually, he gathered the courage to tell me he wanted to marry me. I told him we should pray about it. I prayed and asked God that if He wanted to give me a husband, let it not be someone who had never been married before or someone who had never had children, because such a man might question why I had children. I wanted someone who would understand everything I had gone through. Tash was living in America at the time,” Betty said.