This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
Kenya has taken a significant step in the fight against COVID-19 by launching online marriage services. This move is aimed at reducing congestion at Sheria House and containing the spread of the virus.
According to Winnie Guchu, the Chief Administrative Secretary of the State Law Office, couples intending to get married will now have to register their details online through the eCitizen portal.
"There will be no more manual services at the registrar of marriage at Sheria House as all services will be available online," Guchu said.
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Sheria House used to attend to about 400 clients during low season and 600 clients during the high season months of August and December. However, the closure in May resulted in the suspension of 2,551 marriages, officials said.
When marriage services briefly resumed in mid-May, 1,841 couples whose marriages were suspended wanted to proceed with their civil wedding. However, only 700 couples were willing to postpone their weddings, leaving the office with a bulk of 1,841 couples.
"We are hoping that more people will postpone their weddings so we can manage the numbers," Guchu said.
The new online system will require couples to register their details, pay the marriage fee, book a pre-wedding interview, and later get an appointment for the wedding to be officiated by the registrar.
The schedule will have to be adhered to, and if not, couples will have to book new dates. After completion of registration on the platform, couples will still be given 21-days' notice for approval, just as it was in the manual process.
The online marriage services will first be rolled out in Nairobi and later in other counties after the platform takes root.
