In 2017, a young Kenyan man from Kisii named Kevin Ondieki made headlines after a white lady, Sarah, confessed she was in love with him on the Dr. Phil show.
Dr. Phil is a popular American talk show headlined by Phil McGraw.
A former psychologist, Dr. Phil tackles various topics such as marriage, grief, relationships, charity, financial planning, drug abuse, extramarital affairs, parenting, etc.
He also hosts different people who narrate their life experiences and challenges and advises them on navigating their stormy lives.
The show has aired 21 seasons and is expected to end this year.
Back to Sarah and Kevin’s love affair, Sarah had decided to leave her marriage of 18 years and four children, fly to Kenya, and settle down with Kevin.
How did Sarah and Kevin Meet?
In Dr. Phil’s show, Sarah revealed that she fell out of love with her husband, prompting her to find love online.
Before meeting Kevin, Sarah had befriended two other African men from Ghana, intending to date them, but they fell out.
She then connected with Kevin, and the two became long-distant lovers, hoping to meet one day.
Sarah said she was attracted to Kevin because he made her happy, was a pastor who shared her beliefs, and ran a children’s home in Kisii.
She looked forward to divorcing her husband, Keith, so that she could marry Kevin.
Kevin and Sarah would Facetime and chat daily, developing a deep bond even if they had not met in person.
Sarah’s husband couldn’t take in the fact that her wife of 18 years and the mother of their sons was planning to divorce him for a man she hadn’t met and feared that her wife was being taken advantage of by Kevin.
Her husband appeared on the Dr. Phil show to explain his predicament, hoping the host would help salvage their marriage.
Dr. Phil Talks to Sarah, Keith, and Kevin
The 2017 episode started with Keith pouring out his heart to Dr. Phil and an attentive audience about how he wasn’t ready to lose his wife.
Keith, Sarah, Sarah’s sister, and her parents were also on the show.
Keith explained that while Sarah’s reasons for leaving the marriage were valid, she should have taken a different approach to solving the issue rather than running online to find love that wasn’t guaranteed.
He said that he feared Kevin was out to manipulate his wife and that he wouldn’t let him win.
Dr. Phil turned to Sarah to establish if she was serious about leaving her marriage and children to settle in Kenya.
To the audience’s surprise, Sarah calmly said that she had thought things through and that her decision to date Kevin was solid.
She expressed her love for him and talked about her plans to travel to Kenya, stay for a while, and return to America with Kevin so that co-parenting with her Husband would be easy.
Dr. Phil went ahead to find out what her sister and parents thought about her decision, and none of them sided with Sarah.
Her mum was distraught and advised Sarah against traveling to a country to meet someone who was probably a scammer.
She also feared that her daughter would be killed, sex trafficked, or affected by diseases in Kenya.
Her sister also didn’t buy Sarah’s idea to leave her family.
Sarah’s father echoed her mother’s sentiments, saying that Kenya was dangerous for Sarah to settle in, and mentioned terrorism as one of his concerns.
Dr. Phil informed Sarah and her family that his team had done a background check on Kevin and visited him in Kisii to establish if his claims of being a pastor and running an orphanage were true.
Dr. Phil’s Team Pays Kevin a Visit
The video showed Dr. Phil’s representative traveling to rural Kisii to meet Kevin.
Kevin was waiting for him at the church, and some children were present.
On being interviewed, Kevin revealed that he was in love with Sarah and that his feelings were intentional.
Kevin said that Sarah told him she would divorce her husband so that the two could be together.
He confessed how the two talked every day and their eagerness to meet.
Kevin also discussed their plans after becoming a couple, including farming and running the children.
He also disclosed that he communicated with Sarah’s kids and was no stranger to them.
After showing the video of his team visiting Kevin, Dr. Phil proceeded to video call Kevin live on the show so that he could talk to Sarah and her husband.
During the call, Keith told Kevin he would fight for his marriage.
Kevin professed his love for Sarah, and she admitted she loved him too.
Dr. Phil questioned Kevin about dating a married woman, yet he was a pastor, to which Kevin replied that Sarah had told him she was working on the divorce.
Did Sarah and Kevin Meet?
Toward the end of the episode, Dr. Phil advises Sarah to end her relationship with Kevin and give her marriage a second chance.
Dr. Phil emphasized that Sarah had rushed to seek excitement elsewhere instead of reviving their lackluster marriage.
He advised the couple to take 90 days to attempt to heal their marriage.
Sarah accepted the challenge amid tears because she was emotional about cutting contact with Kevin.
She requested to be allowed to say goodbye to Kevin.
Six years after the episode aired, it was never communicated if Kevin and Sarah’s meeting materialized.
Chances are Keith and Sarah decided to work on their marriage.
Details had also emerged that Kevin had lied about being a pastor and running an orphanage.
Kevin’s father, Pastor Cosmas Ondieki, confirmed to the Nairobian newspaper that his son wasn’t a pastor, nor did he operate an orphanage.
These revelations may have opened Sarah’s eyes, turning back to her husband and kids.
