AG’s office suspends marriage services temporarily

Are you planning a civil wedding soon? Well, bad news lady and gentleman.

The office of the Attorney General has today halted all marriage services temporarily, despite the partial re-opening earlier this week.

In a statement, the Registrar General Mary Njuya said that they had recorded an overwhelming number of clients who visited Sheria House since the announcement on reopening was made, without observing proper guidelines as stipulated by the Health Ministry.

“As a result, the office has temporarily halted all marriage services in order to develop a clear roadmap on re-opening in an organized manner and to further ensure that safety measures are undertaken in the workplace,” the statement read in part.

Njuya apologised for inconveniences and assured all their clients that they are working tirelessly to ensure that provision of these services resume as soon as possible.

Sheria House has been witness to several civil marriages in Kenya, exacerbated in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

Some couples who had planned to wed this year were forced to postpone or cancel their ceremonies. Others who could not wait to start their lives together turned to holding small ceremonies in church, with a limited number of guests and live streaming to their families and friends.

The trend is all over the world as countries continue to impose lockdowns and curfews to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Couples trying to salvage their wedding plans disrupted by the coronavirus are feeding a fresh trend in the bridal industry called the “minimony." Rather than wait, they're getting hitched alone or with a few loved ones looking on at a safe social distance as other guests join virtually.

Last month, Godfrey Mutwiri, 29, and Grace Nkatha, 24, defied the gloom and uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic to celebrate their love in a low-key wedding.

The couple from Meru County had set April 18 as their wedding date and they were not going to change their minds if they could get away with it. And they did. Their wedding cost Sh40,000 only.