This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
Government Limits Garden Weddings to 15 People Only Amid COVID-19 Pandemic ¶
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, the Kenyan government has introduced new measures to limit the number of people attending garden weddings. According to Chief Administrative Secretary Winnie Guchu, all marriage services will be available online until further notice.
On May 20, the government temporarily suspended the process of issuing marriage certificates to partners intending to formalise their engagement due to the overwhelming numbers of clients at Sheria House in Nairobi. The suspension was lifted on June 4, once proper guidelines on preventing the possible spread of the virus among clients were put in place.
However, the government has now directed that all public weddings will be limited to 15 people, while similar ceremonies at the Office of the Attorney General will have four people. Guchu advised all couples planning to get married to register and pay marriage fees on 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.
Despite the government's efforts to manage the numbers, hundreds of couples still thronged the Sheria House in Nairobi for the services. Guchu expressed hope that more people will postpone their weddings so that the numbers can be managed.
