Sixty six couples tied the knot in a mass wedding ceremony on Saturday, December 28, 2019 held at the AIC Pipeline Church in Nairobi.
In a report published by The Standard the ceremony presided over by deputy bishop, Abraham Mulwa, was funded fully by the church at a cost of Ksh800,000. The move, he said was to assist couples unable to afford the financial burdens of contemporary weddings.
''Ili kurahisisha, watu wa hapa ni watu wa maisha duni, na kuwafanyia ndoa yao kuwa rahisi kanisa inagharamia kila kitu. (In order to reduce the financial burden of wedding ceremonies for the poor people in this area, the church is catering for all the expenses)," Mulwa explained.
One of the grooms among the 66 explained how he was unable to finance his wedding and expressed his gratitude to the church for giving him and his bride an opportunity to have a church wedding.
"Sikuwa nataka ma expenses mingi na sikuwa na pesa ya kutosha ya kualika watu wengi kwa ndoa yangu, (I did not want to incur a lot of expense and I did not have enough money to invite many guests to my wedding."
Another bride stated, ''niliona mimi nikitumia pesa zangu mimi mwenyewe nitatumia expenses mingi na sina hiyo uwezo," (I figured if I used my own money, it would cost me a lot beyond my ability.)"
Mulwa, highlighted that the couples who were between the ages of 34-56 only had to raise Ksh1,400 to acquire the marriage certificate from the Attorney General's office and procure their rings.
''Ile kitu wanafanya hapa ni kulipa Ksh1,400 ya certificate ya AG.''
Almost every year, there is bound to be a mass wedding ceremony in the country in the aid of couples unable to meet the astronomical costs of wedding ceremonies.
The Daily Nation reported that in April 2018, 26 couples tied the knot in a mass wedding at the Assumption of Mary Catholic Church in Umoja.
An additional 57 during the year 2016 were also reported to have also tied the knot in a similar manner at the Wango Catholic Church in Mbeere South, Embu county
These initiatives aim at offering financial relief to couples unable to meet the costs of having a contemporary wedding.
