Fed-up farmer demolishes his kitchen after his wife 'sees a vision of Virgin Mary' and thousands of people flock to their home

A Kenyan farmer has destroyed his kitchen after his wife's claim she saw the Virgin Mary drew thousands of pilgrims to their home. Charles Onsombi came home on Saturday from an overnight trip to Mombasa to find his house surrounded by people hoping to meet his wife Mary, or the divine. The village of Getare in Kisii county, southwestern Kenya, quickly became a magnet for worshippers after news spread Mary had witnessed a vision of the Blessed Virgin the day before. The farmer's wife claimed she saw an image emerge in the black soot that coats the mud-brick wall in the kitchen as she was cooking on Friday. She said it started to take the shape of a woman in a long veil holding her hands in prayer – leading the devout Catholic to believe she was experiencing a divine intervention. Shocked by what she saw, Mary sprinted to her neighbours to share the news. Villagers in Getare, armed with mobile phones, rushed to the scene – and before long, the news had gone viral on social media. By the time her husband Charles came home, thousands had travelled miles from the west in Sirare near the Tanzanian border to Homa Bay in Lake Victoria – each praying to catch a glimpse of the Blessed Virgin themselves. While some arrived disappointed, others said they could clearly see the face on the wall. 'I saw it for myself. I saw the picture and I believe it was her,' Brian Nyanga'u, a local, told local news outlet Citizen TV.Another told local news K24, 'this is the mother of Jesus who has come here,' while some called for a church to be established at the site. Thousands of pilgrims travelled miles to the village of Getare in Kisii county, southwestern Kenya, to try and catch sight of the Virgin Mary Hordes of expectant pilgrims flooded in on motorbikes, taxis and buses While some images showed a seemingly blank mud-brick wall, others offered a near perfect portrait of the Virgin Mary - which Mr Onsombi believes was created by AIHordes of expectant pilgrims flooded in on motorbikes, taxis and buses, supported by pastors who brought their Sunday morning church congregations and preached around the house. The excitement of which required a police presence. After travelling 644km (400 miles) to get home, 65-year-old Mr Onsombi was left perplexed by what he was met with on his doorstep. He told local press: 'It was my wife who saw something, but on scrutiny, you know, maybe by mistake.'While some images showed a seemingly blank mud-brick wall, others offered a near perfect portrait of the Virgin Mary. Mr Onsombi argued the image, which went viral, was most likely AI-generated. 'When people started coming, taking photos and whatever, what I can see on the internet is not exactly what is here,' he added. But despite his protests, the flood of people continued into Sunday night – driving Mr Onsombi to breaking point. The furious farmer, armed with his farming hoe, attacked the wall and turned it into a pile of debris. 'He said his wife had… turned his home into a market,' Callen Kemunto, a sugarcane vendor, told Kenya's Daily Nation. 'He demolished the kitchen himself after he was overwhelmed by the crowds and warned everyone not to set foot in his compound again.' However, Mr Onsombi's attempts to deter the flocks of people came in vain as people continued to flood the informal pilgrimage site. Snapping, the farmer picked up a machete and threatened the unwelcome visitors with the weapon. He shouted at the shocked pilgrims: 'If you want this demolished clay, tell me so, [then] I can put it in carrier bags for you.' While a local resident told the Daily Nation: 'He has turned wild, chasing everybody on sight...He says that there is no image of the Virgin Mary in his kitchen.' Charles Onsombi came home on Saturday from an overnight trip to Mombasa to find his house surrounded by people hoping to meet his wife Mary, or the divine The furious farmer, armed with his farming hoe, attacked the wall and turned it into a pile of debrisWith nothing left to see, the numbers dwindled over the next few days. However, leaving some to say Mr Onsombi 'lost an opportunity' to make money.