Pomp and colour as man weds woman who waited through his 27 years in prison

Pomp and colour filled the church during the ceremony attended by hundreds of friends and relatives.

Mr Kinyua was serving a death sentence at the Kamiti Maximum Prison after he was convicted in 1988 after he was found guilty of robbery with violence.

By the time of his release on December 12, 2015, Mr Kinyua had served 27 years of his jail term.

The wedding was officiated by Rev Patrick Muthungu who said that during a visit to Kamiti Prison in 2013, Mr Kinyua appeared to be reformed.

TRANSFORMED

“When we went to Kamiti Maximum Prison, Mr Kinyua caught our attention by how organised he was. He worked faithfully and was a leader of the other inmates and we did not have any doubt that he had transformed.

“He used to tell us on how he had lost hope of ever leaving the prison,” said Rev Muthungu.

The cleric used the ceremony to call upon the society to accept reformed criminals and avoid stigmatisation.

The bride, Mrs Josephine Wanjiru on her part, told the Nation that she always hoped that one time she would meet her beloved husband outside the prison walls.

However, she said she knew that she might never re-unite with her husband with whom they had married for five years by the time he was put behind bars.

NEVER REMARRIED

“I prayed to God when it dawned on me that at my young age l was going to stay without my husband. It is through God’s grace that l never got re-married,” said Wanjiru as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.

Mr Kinyua, who was equally joyful, said he knew his family was safe since his wife made frequent visits while he was still at Kamiti.

“I left my wife when she was three months pregnant with our second born child and our firstborn was only two years old, “he said.

For his young wife then, life was not the same again as the future turned grey.

“When he was arrested I saw darkness and I was still very young and I thought it was the end of the world. I contemplated committing suicide,” said Wanjiru.

She said she had to go through a number of challenges including single-handedly raising their two children and schooling them.

ASKED FOR HIS FATHER

“When our firstborn joined school, he had a difficult time when the teacher asked him to write the name of his parents.

"He later started questioning me on where his father was and I had to tell him,” said Mrs Kinyua.

She said that unlike what many would do – considering marrying again – she decided to focus on taking care of her young family.

“I was still young and I could get married but I thought maybe I could land in more trouble yet I still loved my husband,” she said.

“When I received news that he had been released from prison I fainted. When l gained consciousness, I spent two sleepless nights celebrating with my family,” she said.

In jail, Mr Kinyua acquired skills and became an accomplished mechanic.

Spray painting and panel beating were other areas he was trained in before he took a course in theology which he did for two years before graduating.