Having been married for 18 years, Bishop Allan and Pastor Kathy Kiuna in their book Marriage Works give tips for long-lasting marriages, writes Joan Kabugu.
Marriage break-ups in Hollywood is the order of the day with some marriages lasting just a few hours. The few celebrities who have managed to keep their marriages for more than ten years include Denzel and Pauletta Washington, Will and Jada Smith and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.
It is not only in Hollywood and the West that marriages are breaking at a high rate. Many couples in Kenya are also separating after a year or two of marriage.
To provide a solution for the increasing divorce rates, many local and international authors have written books on issues affecting marriage and how to achieve a successful marriage. Marriage Works by Bishop Allan and Pastor Kathy Kiuna is an example of a marriage book authored locally.
Allan and Kathy, who have been married for 18 years, say friendship, proper conflict resolution and intimacy are the building blocks of a marriage that will last a lifetime.
Friendship
Chapter nine of the book is titled My spouse my friend and it emphasises the need to marry a friend.
“We talk to our friends, we confide in our friends, we cherish our friends, we communicate with our friends, even more importantly we open up to our friends,” it states.
Allan and Kathy say friendship is important in marriage because friends can be vulnerable with each other and still be safe and shield and believe in each other.
Unfortunately, many couples are unable to build lasting friendships because of a number of reasons including negative past experiences, overwhelming feelings of insecurity, differences in temperaments and selfishness.
Angie Kamau and Paul Mwaura, who have been married for eight years, reiterate the importance of friendship in marriage.
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