A 99-year-old man, Johana Maritim Butuk, has got married to his 40-year-old girlfriend, Alice Jemeli, after 20 years of relationship in Kenya.
They had an eventful wedding ceremony in Soy, Uasin Gishu County on Saturday, January 14, 2023.
The two met in 2003, the lady was 20 and the man 69.
He proposed to the lady in December 2022 and plans of a wedding ceremony started.
The Standard, a popular Kenyan news organization, said it paid a visit to the couple, and saw them discussing how they would build a house for themselves.
“I did not marry my entire life because I have always wanted peace of mind. I was also busy with menial jobs, and when I decided to marry all my friends were already grandfathers. But when I met my wife, I discovered that I found what I wanted in life. Alice talks less and helps navigate challenges in life,” Butuk says.
He added that: “She was young when we first met, and I loved her because of her humility. I was first introduced to her by a woman called Tabasei, and we connected well despite the age differences. I am happy because my wife is now mature and responsible.”
“I loved him when we first met in 2003. I had quit an abusive relationship, but when I met Mzee (Butuk) through a woman, I loved him because he was humble and listened to me. He was old, and I decided to be his helper because I knew that I would become a married woman like other women,” Jemeli says.
“I have been late in many things, but today I am happy because I am a married man. I was initiated in 1943, way after my age mates had been circumcised. I am confident that the happiness in my marriage will make me live longer,” says Butuk.
The wife revealed that she receives Sh3,000 monthly — a house girl in a neighbouring house.
“Our wedding was colourful, and we are celebrating it at our humble home. We have no money because even our wedding ceremony was financed by neighbours and our friends in the Church. We can’t even go to the nearby Soy Club for a meal,” she says.