Nigerian man ‘steals’ Kalenjin singer’s heart

 [Photo: Courtesy]

The lure of Nigerian men has bitten another Kalenjin songstress.

Sheila Chepkurui Chumo, who is popularly known in the local music circles as Sheila Mark, got engaged to a church minister, Dr. Chris Ajabor.

The sixth-born in a family of eight children disclosed that she met her beau in 2014 in Eldoret during a church service at the House of Grace.

“Back then I was dating a Kalenjin man and I didn’t know that a romantic relationship will later develop as I exchanged contacts with Ajabor,” she said

The 30-year-old singer who was the 2014 Music Copyright Society of Kenya Rift Valley Artiste of the Year, added that they started chatting with Ajabor, as ministers of the gospel and engaged in general conversations.

“It wasn’t until my previous relationship came to an end, that we began getting attracted to each other romantically,” Sheila Mark said.

The new development between the brown, tall Kalenjin led Ajabor to make several trips to Eldoret to see the Saenyun (My prayer), Welel Kainenyun (Change My Name) and Agenin (I wait upon you) hit maker, and eventually drop to his knees and propose to her.

However, the news that the theology graduate of Virginia Christian University (Eldoret campus) was engaged to a West African dude was initially received with a lot of questions from her Kipsigis kinsmen,

“They questioned me why I had chosen to cross borders to get love whereas there are many good Kipsigis men out there.

However, when they got to see and meet Ajabor, they understood why I had fallen for him and they were happy for us,” she said.

Sheila Mark explained that she had fallen for Dr Ajabor since just like her, he is a church minister, he is in the 30s age bracket and that he had demonstrated that he can provide for a family.

“The other thing is that just like me, he had never been married,” she said.

And the bride price negotiation was a sweet deal to Sheila Mark’s parents.

It is said that Ajabor’s bride price negotiation team did not bargain so much over the items their in-laws demanded.

The negotiations are said to have lasted around three hours with the Nigerians electing to convert into cash the items required.

“Unlike my people, they did not negotiate so much. They simply did everything according to what they were told. There was no argument about anything,” Sheila Mark said.

Sheila Mark’s and Ajabor’s relationship mirror that of Emmy Kosgei who got married to Apostle Anselm Madubuko in 2013.

“When my kinsmen heard that I had been betrothed to a Nigerian, they thought that Emmy Kosgei had made the connection.

“She had nothing to do with it. We don’t talk relationship matters with her,” Sheila Mark added.

She nonetheless admitted that Kosgei had sent her a congratulatory message after the pre-wedding ceremony.

“When she heard about my pre-wedding ceremony, Emmy Kosgei sent me a congratulatory message and welcomed me to Naija,” she said. 

But unlike Kosgei, Sheila Mark said she will not be relocating to the Igbo land.

“My fiancé has business in Kenya and there is no reason to relocate elsewhere. We will probably just go to Nigeria to visit.”