Couple survive death and wed on hospital grounds

Miriam Gakenia and James Mwangi exchange wedding vows at Outspan Hospital in Nyeri County where she was admitted following a grisly accident on Sagana-Karatina Road. (Photo: Kibata Kihu)

Weddings are meant to bring joy and it is not normal for people to shed tears on the day.

But on Saturday, tears flowed freely and emotions rose as Miriam Gakenia and her groom James Mwangi tied the knot at the Outspan Hospital in Nyeri County.

The couple had planned their wedding differently but as fate would have it, they were involved in a near-fatal accident on Monday night, and Gakenia was admitted to the facility with multiple fractures.

But the love that the couple enjoyed would not allow them to postpone the event, and instead, they wrote history as Gakenia said 'I Do' from her hospital bed.

Instead of the normal 'walk down the isle' Gakenia was wheeled out of her ward in an orthopedic bed.

Hospital staff and the bridal party had to carry the bed to the open ground behind the hospital.

Gakenia, which means 'one who brings happiness' in Gikuyu, lived up to the meaning of her name.

Despite lying on the bed facing skyward, Gakenia got through the whole ceremony with a lovely smile on her face, something that drove most congregants to tears.

The pain in her hand and foot was also evident, but this did not weigh her down.

Boldly and with a sweet sharp voice, Gakenia finally said 'I Do', driving the packed compound into a frenzy.

Cheers, jubilation and ululations filled the entire hospital compound after she slid a golden ring on Mwangi's finger, as Reverend Stephen Mungai of Dominion Towers Deliverance Church blessed their marriage.

Unfortunately, a plaster on her hand extended to the middle of her fingers, and she could not wear the ring properly. Her husband Mwangi wore a sling on his right hand as a result of the accident that occurred in Kiangwachi, neighbouring Kirinyaga County.

On the fateful night, the couple was travelling back to their Nyeri home after a day of shopping in Nairobi in preparation for their wedding.

"She was in a lot of pain and we had to stabilise her before rectifying the fractures. She also suffered a fracture to her left wrist," said Dr Jeff Muigai.