Some folk think 2008 was the year Kenya went to the brink. We think this was the year celebs went over the edge, and engagements turned to marriages. Here is definitivelist of the top 10 weddings from the region.
10 - Davies Ngala (Yunasi)
He married a pretty mzungu from somewhere. Na hiyo ni ngeli ya Ngala.
9 - Matonya
READ MORE
Of killings and abductions, how State silenced critical voices
Inside trust deficit, legal challenges haunting IEBC
She kept working: Farmer's long and painful fight with brucellosis
8 - Z-Anto
We have always heard stories of video vixens that end up in bed with music stars after the shoot. Well this was not exactly the scenario but pint-sized Z-Anto was smitten by the vixen (real name Sandra) in his popular video, Binti Kiziwi and eventually walked her down the aisle one year later. It seems the beautiful girl who acts as deaf person stole his heart. The secret wedding took place during the holy month of Ramadhan at the girl’s family home in Magomeni, Dar es Salaam. The couple was secretly engaged for eight months.
Critics have tried to unearth the reasons for the secret wedding in vain. After tying the knot the Islamic couple rented a home in
Kinondoni, Dar es Salaam.
7 –Wyre and Hanifa
A serene garden wedding ceremony. On the manicured lawns at the exquisite Safari Park hotel grounds. A wedding of about 200 hundred sharply dressed guests. Ladies wore flowery sun dresses. The men in black tie. With sleek shades to top up the look.
An hour later. The black stretch-limo brings in the bride. Her name is Hanifa. She’s an air hostess and beautifully dressed. Love is in the air. Wyre singing an own composition of We Belong Together to his bride. Not like the usual piano tunes.
Very few celebs were in sight. Necessary Noize’s other half Nazizi walks in with her better half as the bride makes her way to podium. Fundi Frank is seen in the crowd, seated with a couple of friends. Maybe he made the attire for the wedding?
Gospel musician, Neema entertains guests with a gospel chorus. Bride and the groom make their way to their seats.
We enter the wedding. Are greeted by mean faced men in black suits. No cameras allowed. We have cameras. We are thrown out. We are forlorn. But not for long. Every wedding is a song, between two people, who choose to invite those they like. Wyre and Hanifa are in love. We are not liked. But, at least, we have a tale to tell of their wedding. And this was it.
6-Marcus and Somoina
Marcus and Somoina had a beautiful wedding mid last year, but as usual, Marcus had to add a slightly weird touch to it. First, it was a cash-for-gifts offer that they put out there. Then the couple went high tech with a secret web site (more ‘perv’ than ‘weddo’ for the event), ostensibly to keep the paparazzi in the dark about their wedding. We hacked the site anyway.
That’s when Marcus moved the wedding to ‘far away’ Uganda (si wange’enda USA?) to keep paps at bay. Briefly considered following them, but decided it wasn’t worth the resources. Sources, and lovely pix, say it was a wonderful wedding anyway.
‘Champagne in Champara,’ the pearl of Africa.
5. Tim ‘Ennovator’ Rimbui and Karimi Mugambi
At least the Ennovator was innovative about his wedding to Karimi neÈ Mugambi. He took this uniquely African wedding to the green hills of Ngong, made it a traditional wedding, complete with an esoteric blend of music and a wedding cake shaped like an African basket. (We just hope Karimi didn’t have to fetch water from the nearest river, heh-heh). But it was a welcome change from the Karen-Windsor axis of weddings, now in fashion.
Oh –—and here are a few facts you didn’t know about the mysterious Mrs Karimi Rimbui, dread locked and head strong.
She is the daughter of Prof. Jesse Mugambi, now principal of Starehe following Dr Griffin’s death. She is a ‘West Side’ story, as in grew up in Nairobi West and has four bros and two sisters.
This musical duo remind you of our famous Eric Wainaina who got married earlier on in the year to Sheba Hirst? Me too! Eric’s wedding story, unlike his perennial patriotic songs, has already been over-told (so we will not over blow it again here).
4 -Waweru Njoroge and Robert Soi
Banana Zorro, Matonya and Mariam |
If this was a ‘celeb vs celeb wedding’ piece, though, Soi would win the groom’s cake.
While the Waweru have been a short and happy two-some, Soi finally wed his longterm sweetie Cathy Wambua after a long and tumultuous relationship. It had more cameras than any other ‘celeb’ wedding of the year. The evening party moved on to Chris Kirwa’s Rangers. And it was done with one of the elegant Mash limos from Limos R Us, which aren’t expensive at all to hire, and sure beat the old ‘borrowed Merc’ storo.
3 -Mheshimwa Temba
Just one year after the once popular TMK Wanaume split with Temba retaining the name and his genius ex-leader Juma Nature forming TMK Wanaume Halisi, both said goodbye to bachelors club. After Temba and his group released the highly acclaimed Dar Mpaka Moro, he recently got hitched to his high school sweetheart in a glamorous wedding. The couple has been dating for four years before they were joined in holy matrimony.
The wedding took place at Sinza, Dar es Salaam three weeks ago and over 1,200 guests attended the wedding.
"We had invited only 800 guys but more came to wish us well," says Temba. Among the well-wishers was Juma Nature and his Wanaume Halisi, Dully Sykes and Banana Zorro. TMK Wanaume members and Wanaume Halisi entertained the crowd.
2 - CMB Prezzo
If there was a gold medal of all time ‘celeb’ weddings in Kenya, that would have to go to Nameless and Wahu. But that was in 2005, a long time ago. Old water under Lake Naivasha’s Country Club’s bridges. So let’s go to the man who has ruled bling in Kenya since 2004 … Prezzo. Last month, he tied the knot with long time, long term, on-and-off (read in-between-affairs) girlfriend and fiancÈe, Daisy Kiplagat.
As would be expected between the heir of a rich man (Action Jackson) and the daughter of one of the financial elites in Kenya (Hosea Kiplagat), the wedding was a horse-not-cart affair (the wife arrived in a bridal carriage drawn by four white horses) and her man Prezzo in an old British chariot, a black and white Rolls Royce.
The venue was at the Karen Country Lodge, and there was a pianist on the green, green fields of England (sorry, Karen) to play a rhapsody for the bride.
The guests, of course, came in all sorts of vehicles — owned, begged for (remember Prezzo’s stunt at some E.A. Motor Show where he jifanyad that Rama’s convertible CLK Mercedes was his?), borrowed or stolen — but all fancy!
With the likes of former Juja MP William Kabogo as one of his best bmen it’s indeed a wonder the groom and his wedding entourage didn’t land in choppers, owned or hired.
Code Red, though, flopped on the turntables, opening the floor with the now oh-so-oh-eight wedding clichÈ song by P-Square No One Like You ( But the wedding, it was still red hot and very exclusive!
Pulse managed to sneak in, (other paparazzi pretended they sneaked in too), and as the ultimate celebrity rag in town, we give this wedding the silver medal from the Beijing of 2008 weddings.
There’s only one problem though. Kenyans are copy cats in everything (sports-bars, magazines, clad), celebrity weddings included — and ever since the late Kijana Wamalwa (ironically named VP about six years to this day) wed Yvonne in a classic English wedding of Saville Row suits, old British motis and horse-drawn carriages (in Karen), every celebrity now wants to wed in colonial style. And you’ll see how in a minute. (But let’s first give thanks to the Namelesses for at least doing a water front wedding, complete with boats, a trend we hope to see again in 2009).
1 - Chameleone
Jose Chameleone vocals are raspy and distinct. He has grown musically and is arguably not rivaled by his peers across East Africa. The controversial singer once dated an older Belgian woman Gret Onsea who bore him a daughter. It was not a smooth sailing and the two broke up. Fast forward to this year June 7. Chameleone was wedding another woman. The fair and comely Daniella Otim had won his heart after he philandered for a couple years. To many friends the relationship looked to have hit a snag. They weathered the storm got married in a style befitting a king. It is no wonder Jose Chameleone is the second most popular person in Uganda behind President Museveni and ahead of Buganda king Ronald Mutebi. It was wedding of the year as crowds from Mutungo, Luzira, Kitintale and other Kampala suburbs converged at Biina Trading Centre to witness the wedding of their music star. Excited residents started gathering at the trading centre next to the church compound by 7:00am yet the wedding service started at 11:00am. Mean-looking Kanyamas, the Police and army, who were deployed around the church, battled the crowd to bring order, but were overwhelmed. The chopper, a light-blue with white strips, touched down at 11:10am carrying Chameleone and his groomsmen. He was received with wild cheers by the waiting crowd and immediately whisked away into the church as he waited for his fiancÈe, who arrived shortly in a seven-limousine motorcade. The wedding service was conducted by Fr. John Scalabrin, the father of the bride, who was assisted by Fr. Isidoro Mbaleeba. Chameleone and Daniella who were dressed in snow white suit and gown, respectively exchanged their marriage vows at 1:02pm amidst ululations from the crowd who filled the church to capacity. After making their vows, the newly-wed couple boarded a waiting chopper, which flew them to Munyonyo Speke Resort before heading to an elegant reception at Kampala Serena Hotel. At Serena, the couple was ushered in by a volley of intermittent firecrackers, bubbles and snow. Afrigo Band, Silk Mobile Disco and Crane Performers entertained the guests. Speeches were entertaining. Fr Scalabrin said marriage was the bridge which brings unity and love in a family and called upon couples to legalise their relationship for a better living. Chameleone knelt to thank his parents for raising him; and Daniella assured the guests that she and Chameleone will stick together. Over 500 crates of beer were offered by Club Beer for the stag party. They danced to Chameleone’s song, Gwenafuna Kati Tayomba and cut a 12-tier cake. The function ended at 10:00pm.
Special Award: Abbas Kubaff and Baby Gangsta
Why? When a man has two weddings, two weeks apart — first a Barbie wedding for his Babe at Mamba, complete with white attire and cake, in Karen, then a Ghetto wedding for himself at KICC, complete with muturas and bandannas, which one do you rank without going bananas?
Others
Other celebs from East Africa who have wedded include Inspekta Haroun, Juma Nature, Luteni Kalama, Lady Jaydee and Stara Thomas, Big Ted, Nasty Thomas.
