This archive report was first published on 25 August 2020.
Tom Mboya's Wedding: A Rare Glimpse into Kenya's History ¶
On January 20, 1962, Tom Mboya, a prominent Kenyan politician, tied the knot with Pamela Adede in a grand ceremony at St Peter Claver’s Church in Nairobi. The wedding was blessed by then Pope John XXIII and was attended by hundreds of high-ranking officials, including the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Ronald Ngala.
Photos of the wedding were shared globally, and the event was covered in the April 1962 issue of Ebony magazine in the US. A rare one-minute video of the wedding has recently surfaced, capturing the event's grandeur and the attendees' excitement.
The video shows guests arriving, with the then Kenya Police donned in shorts, manning the vicinity and controlling onlookers. Mboya can be seen smiling while holding his hands at the back, accompanied by two bridegrooms sharing the same design suits with his aides.
Inside the cathedral, the couple can be seen kneeling for prayers, while the presiding clergy, Archbishop J.J Macarthy, delivers the sermon. Kenyatta and other attendees can be spotted standing, with the first President sitting on the second row, leaving the first row to grooms, bridesmaids, and relatives of the couple.
Mboya had paid a bride price of 16 cows and, during the ceremony, warned of politics, stating, "I am strictly here on the capacity of a new husband." After making their vows, Mr. and Mrs. Mboya were ushered outside the church for photos and celebrations before departing for their honeymoon.
Mboya took his wife for a 10-day honeymoon in Tel-Aviv, Israel, and then jetted to London for the second Lancaster House Conference.
