They thought I was crazy dating him

BRIDE: Nelius Mukami

GROOM: Isaac Mwaura

DATE: June 27, 2015

CEREMONY: Citam, Thika Road

RECEPTION: Evergreen Gardens, Kiambu Road

PHOTO SHOOT: State House and Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club

BUDGET:Sh3.5m

FIRST DATE

Isaac: I had planned that after university, I would marry my secondary school girlfriend – who was also living with albinism, but that was never to be. In university, I shortly dated someone else. But later, when I was a senior adviser to then Prime Minister Raila Odinga, a mutual friend introduced me to Mukami.

He had bragged to her that he “knew people”, even producing evidence in the form a 2012 newspaper article in which I had been featured to bring the point home. We later connected through Facebook. We stalked each other, exchanged messages and tagged posts in the social media platform for some time.

I left for my Masters at the University of Leeds, UK soon after, having not met since the introduction. I remember thinking of coming back to Kenya many times during our online chats. So when I got back home, the first thing I did was meet her – she was in a yellow shirt, skirt and wore her hair short.

Mukami: When we met for the coffee date, I was working at Transparency International and him, at the office of the Prime Minister. He was yet to become an MP. To me it was just a date. I had not envisioned a relationship with him. During the coffee date, he held my hands and fiddled with my fingers.

It is an old school romance thing, a clear sign that he wanted me badly. Initially, dating Isaac was hard for me given that people were always staring at us. It was as if they did not want us to date.

 I guess in their minds they thought that it was cowardly to date a man living with albinism. I even called off the relationship and offered that we remain friends. When he came back asking we get back together, I told him that the ship had already sailed on.

Isaac: Once, when I got sick and admitted to hospital, she took very good care of me. From that time, I knew that she was a lady worthy fighting for. On recovering, she gifted me a Maasai rungu – a sign of leadership. From that moment, I told her that she was mine. I told her that she had gotten away from me, but she was now coming back to the right man.

THE PROPOSAL

Mukami: After he was nominated to Parliament, he called me and requested for another coffee date. During the date, he out-rightly told me that he wanted to marry me. I never wanted to show him that I was already in love with him, deeper than I had cared to admit.

Later, during a public function in Embu County, he went down on one knee and proposed. I never expected that he could kneel down and more so, at a public function. It really shocked me and made me feel so special. When I finally took him home, my mother liked him from the very first day.

THE DRAMA

Mukami: After the church ceremony, the MC directed that we get into a private car, just Mwaura and I. I did not know where we were heading and this diversion had not been in the programme. Moments later, we arrived at State House.

President Uhuru Kenyatta was the one who received us. He was dressed in our wedding color scheme fitting well as one of the groomsmen. We held a mini- photo session at the lush lawns of State House with the President, becoming the first newly-weds to have such moments at State House.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Mwaura: I cannot forget the feeling I experienced as I saw her walk down the aisle and I played the piano for her. It felt like the second-coming of Jesus Christ.