Marriage is a passage of life for most people. As a matter of fact, for many individuals, marriage is the ultimate life goal and they would do just anything to attain this goal. This includes going to the extreme level of borrowing bank loans worth millions just to celebrate this life event.
When it comes to weddings what comes to people’s mind is bliss, luxury, themes and decoration. I believe everyone has a preference on how they would want their wedding to be. But if you ask me? I don’t think weddings should be a liability. Do a luxurious wedding only when you can afford it; You don’t have to break an arm and leg just to get married.
Marriage and family are an important aspect of life as it is also enshrined in Article 45 of the Kenyan constitution as the basic natural and fundamental unit of society hence has to be recognized and protected by the state. To give this constitutional provision effect, in 2014 the Marriage Act was enacted and it defines marriage as a voluntary union of a man and a woman whether in a monogamous or polygamous union. The Marriage Act 2014 recognizes 5 systems of marriages:
- Civil marriage
- Christian Marriage
- Customary marriage
- Hindu marriage
- Islam marriage
Therefore, for you to get married in Kenya in any of the above marriage systems, you must first meet these criteria:
- You must 18 years and above
- You must marry the opposite sex
- You must consent to the marriage
- You do not have an existing marriage (have another legal marriage with someone else/not divorced/widow(er)).
Keeping the above marriage requirements and marriage systems in mind, it is obvious that there is no ‘a Luxurious marriage’ requirement needed for one to get married. In fact, if you want a low-cost wedding you might want to go for the Civil marriage commonly known as the Attorney General wedding. This type of marriage will cost you an approximate of Ksh.10,000 only.
If you are a Kenyan National or a refugee and you are currently residing in Kenya and you wish to tie the Knot through the Attorney general’s office, you will be required to visit the marriage registrar’s office physically with a dually filled marriage form from the Attorney general’s website with the following attached documents: an original and copy of the identity card or passport or alien card for the refugees, colored passports, a divorce decree (for divorcee’s), a death certificate (for widows and widowers). After the submission, you will be required to declare a marriage notice for 21 days, afterwards you will be required to solemnize the marriage after 90 days from the day you gave the marriage notice.
When the wedding day bells ring, you and your partner will be required to carry a copy of your identification documents to the Attorney General’s office and a marriage fee of Ksh.9,700. It’s that simple! You don’t have to cook rice for the whole village. Just invite a few friends and relatives to celebrate with you.