Bride and her groom were left speechless, counting losses after a man claiming to be the bride’s estranged husband stopped their wedding through a court order, with police keeping vigil to ensure no vows were exchanged.
Benjamin Malonza was to wed Faith Nthoki Mutua at the African Inland Church (AIC) in Kikima, Mbooni on Saturday.
While the bride was getting prepared to start the procession to church, a man only identified as Mwavu Kaleli, sent by Makindu law court, brought in a court order bringing the wedding to a stand-still.
Wedding planners, guests and hundreds of church members were barred from accessing the church premises by a contingent of police officers who had pitched tent at the entrance.
The church leader Reverend Samuel Mwania informed them that the wedding had been cancelled until a case in court is heard and determined.
“According to the court order, a man who claims to be the ex-husband went to Makindu law courts on April, 25, 2019 with an intention of stopping our wedding and a court order was granted which we have been served with today. However, as per their order I don’t appear anywhere in their papers because the person indicated there is Benjamin Matata who I don’t know but have accepted to stop the activities of the day”, Malonza told the standard.
Attempts to salvage the wedding through intervention of elders proved futile.
He marveled on why the alleged husband would wait till the wedding day whilst he had made announcements at the bride’s church at AIC Kaseveni, Makueni and his home church at Isyukoni, Mbooni and no one came out to stop the marriage at that primary stage.
“I made several announcements before moving to the office of the Attorney General and got a notification to proceed. This complaint at this hour is horrid”, he added.
Benjamin, an electronic engineer described the events of that day as fateful and that nothing might be as stressful as planning a wedding that ends up annulled.
He termed the entire process as money waster well-orchestrated by their opponent and their Sh2m wedding upshot as horrifying: “This was a bit malicious, why would he serve us with court papers on the D-Day? We had already done bookings, invitations sent, guests had started trooping in and then this happens.
The standard identified the alleged disdained ex-husband as Jackson Muthoka, a military police who is reported to have paid school fees for the bride (Faith) at the Kenya Medical College (KMTC) with a promise of marrying her.
He would later marry her as second wife in customary procedures, get blessed with a baby-girl before parting ways.
Faith currently works as a nurse at Sultan-Hamud sub-County hospital.
Shortly after the drama played out, the bride, dressed in her white gown drove off, before registering her frustrations on her Facebook page and switching off her phone.
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“It’s unfortunate but it must be, let Jackson Muthoka Kimindu burry me, without my parents”, she wrote on her Facebook page.
However, Malonza, 35, was also reported to have married earlier and blessed with one child but when contacted for comment, he distanced self from such claims insisting that what was best for him was that he had sorted his “issues” before planning for the wedding.
They will appear at the Makindu law court on May 3.
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