This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
On May 23, 2017, Dan Kinyanjui's life changed forever when his wife passed away just hours after delivering their second child. Two years later, he has found love again, and his Instagram post announcing the new woman in his life has sparked a heated debate on how soon is too soon for a widowed man to date again.
Mr. Kinyanjui, popularly known as Dan Sonko, has been raising his two boys with the support of his mother and regularly posting images of them on social media. His recent post, which included a photo of him and the new woman in a car, was met with a barrage of condemnation from his fans, with many wondering how long he should have taken before falling in love again.
Marriage counsellors have debated this age-old question for a while, and Rev. Philip Kitoto of the Kenya Assemblies of God weighed in on the matter. In a previous interview, he advised individuals to take time to heal first and not rush into remarriage. He noted that life must go on, and one cannot just sit and watch life go by.
Rev. Kitoto's sentiments were echoed by Mrs. Bertha Mwangi, a widow and national chairperson of the Muungano wa Wajane Organisation. She urged widows not to rush into remarriage and to work hard to have a solid financial base so that the man they get will not gloat that he is there to support them.
Mr. Kinyanjui, in response to the criticism, posted that matters grieving are different and unique to every individual. He stated that he had moved on after making peace with God and his late wife, Druscillah Walowe, and that was what mattered most.
The issue of how soon is too soon for a widowed man to date again is not limited to Kenya. In the US state of California, comedian-cum-actor Patton Oswalt was a subject of the same discussion in 2017. His wife died in April 2016, and in July the following year, he proposed to actress Meredith Salenger.
