Mr Amos Rono and Ms Nelly Chepkoech Koskei will not be making up, but will instead go separate ways following alleged pressure and other underlying factors, which they have not spoken about publicly.
Some of the claims that have been made by the parties could not be independently verified by the Nation and cannot be used in this story for legal reasons.
It has emerged that the level of mistrust between the two, fueled by social media heat it has generated in the last two days, alleged interventions, and interference by relatives and friends have driven the young couple to the edge.
Happy days: Ms Nelly Chepkoech Koseki and Mr Amos Rono in this file photo. PHOTO| COURTESY
“I have let her go. I wish her well in her future life endeavours and I have nothing against her or her family. After a lot of soul searching and consultations, I have decided to remain single for now,” Mr Rono announced Sunday evening while flanked by a few of his family members.
The wedding was called off at the eleventh hour on Saturday in what has kicked off a storm, with unverifiable accusations and counter-accusations flying back and forth.
Some of the allegations have been bottled up by the parties and are only shared in private, adding to the speculations that are mounting by the day.
“I have cried a tank full of tears before arriving at the decision to sever the relationship for good” Mr Rono told the Nation.
“It would not serve me well as a youth leader in the church. It is one of my lowest moments, but it is a bullet I must take.”
His statement was in stark contrast with an announcement a few hours earlier by Ms Koskei that she had not called off the wedding as was being claimed, and that she was looking forward to solemnising their union and starting a family.
Amos consults with his brother Nelson Rono (centre) and their mother Sarah Nyige before the Nation interview on December 10, 2023. PHOTOS | VITALIS KIMUTAI | NATION
“We were advised by the church that we could push forward the date of the wedding as the validity of the marriage permit runs to February next year,” Ms Koskei said, adding that the claims that were being bandied around in social media about her status were not true.
It has emerged that the two lovebirds had been in courtship for one year and had jointly been planning for the wedding in the last two months, having gone through the required motions and processes in the church.
The surprise announcement by Mr Rono to release Ms Koskei to search for love and companionship elsewhere, and perhaps start a family, came even as Pastor Clement Chalulot of Kapsoyo AGC Church, who was set to preside over the ceremony, claimed that the families of the bride and bridegroom were in talks with a view to picking a new wedding date.
“We were prepared for the wedding. We had put in place everything. But the announcement that it would be postponed came too late in the day. It was psychologically shattering to say the least,” Ms Sarah Nyige, Rono’s mother, said.
Amos shows a cow that was to be slaughtered during the planned wedding. PHOTO | VITALIS KIMUTAI | NATION
However, Ms Koskei, while flanked by her father, the Reverend Charles Koskei of AGC, Chebirbelek in Sotik, was categorical that she was not the cause of the postponement.
“I am shocked by the claims that I have called off the wedding and taken off, yet I am at home with my parents and I have been eagerly waiting for the wedding to take off,” the 23-year-old woman said.
She claimed that she had been summoned by the clergy along with the bridegroom and informed that the wedding will have to be postponed for technical reasons.
“When we were both told of the postponement of the wedding, we cried a lot as a result and there is nothing we could have done about it. I am ready for the big day when it is picked,” she said, unaware of the bombshell her would-be suitor was preparing to drop a few hours later.
The communication was allegedly made at the church’s offices in Tenwek by the clergy in the presence of relatives and friends who had been invited to address the matter.
“The wedding would have proceeded on Saturday. But I was called by the area director of the African Gospel Church and informed that they needed to undergo further counseling as they had been in courtship for less than six months,” The Reverend Koskei, who confirmed that he attended the session, said.
“I have been paid five cows in the form of dowry and some money as is the tradition. God willing, the wedding will be conducted in February or April next year,” the clergy said.
The Reverend Koskei added that the hiccups relating to the wedding would be fixed and asked members of the public to ignore claims circulating in the social media.
Amos Rono gestures during the interview at his home in Bomet.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
“Some people have claimed on social media that my daughter has run away from home, yet she is with us and we are all watching the unfolding scenario. It is very unfair” he said.
But, what is next for the crestfallen bridegroom? Will he seek another woman’s hand in marriage soon?
“I have to take time off. I have to cool off before making another move. That (decision) certainly will not be coming soon. I have to heal, I have to be in a position where I can make sound decisions so I do not find myself in a similar or worse situation,” Mr Rono told the Nation in the interview.
But he was quick to add “I wish to confirm for the record, that I was deeply in love with her (Chepkoech) and I trusted her. But I am also well aware that what is not meant to happen, would not happen.”
“By the time the announcement of the postponement of the wedding was made, we had bought wedding gowns and suits,” Mr Rono said.
“I had paid for her (Chepkoech) hair and nails to be made at a salon in Bomet town and done so many other things in anticipation of the big day that never was.”
At their home, everything seemed set for the big day.
A newly constructed makeshift shade and an open kitchen welcome guests to the homestead at Kapsoiyo village, with three semi-permanent houses ringed off by a fence.
Mr Rono spoke to journalists while flanked by family members who were overly protective of him and did not want some questions asked and answers given— choosing to keep some of the matters that were in public domain private.
They were very particular about his choice of words, and in many instances dictated to him which question to answer and which not to, in what was indicative of the deep rooted undercurrents surrounding the story.
It is claimed that Sh300,000 had been collected for wedding expenses, but only Sh50,000 had been spent by the time the wedding was called off on Thursday.
