Nominated Senator Hezena Lemaletian has officially called off her engagement and returned dowry, citing cultural traditions and a background check conducted by her family elders.
In October 2024, Lemaletian announced her engagement during a traditional ceremony, sharing her joy on social media. She described her fiancé as "a fine top brain" and expressed her commitment to him.
However, on Friday, May 16, the senator revealed that her family elders had conducted a thorough background check, as required by Samburu customs, and decided to halt the marriage process.
In her statement, she explained that despite recent claims, she is not married and has no plans to marry the individual.
“Allegations that I was married are false and unfounded, and I shall also not be married to that person whatsoever. I deeply thank our elders,” the statement reads.
"The due procedure of the Samburu culture is that a background check must be conducted before the marriage. And so it was, and THOROUGHLY," she noted.
She emphasized that the dowry of Ksh 100,000, which had been presented during the initial discussions, was returned, and the engagement was officially canceled as of January 2025.
"The elders of my family, therefore, halted the whole process after the background check and refused to accept dowry from the person, and as such, the whole process was immediately cancelled as of January 2025," he said.
Lemaletian expressed her gratitude to her family elders for their guidance and support, noting that their involvement was akin to that of a father, noting that her late father would have been proud.
She also requested privacy for her family as they move forward and warned that any further attempts to slander her name would be addressed through legal action.
The senator's announcement comes after she received media attacks despite her maintaining silence out of respect for all parties involved.
