From childhood friends to lovers
When Gitau Wamweya, 30, and Nyakio Karongo, 26, were growing up in Gachie, Kiambu, they didn’t know they would one day be joined in holy matrimony. According to Gitau, he perceived Nyakio as a small sister as he was a friend to her elder brother.
“I schooled with her brother and often visited their home to play. It never occurred to me that Nyakio would one day become my wife,” Gitau says amidst laughter.
After high school, Gitau moved to Banana and since his parents had relocated, he rarely went back. However, one day while on a visit to Gachie, he ran into Nyakio, who was all grown and not the little girl he had left behind.
They parted ways after exchanging pleasantries but Gitau would later on reach out to Nyakio via Facebook. Since they were both video editors, they had a lot to share about their professional experience. Nyakio was then working as video editor with Good News Productions International and Gitau with a production house in the City Centre.
Through their Facebook chats, a fire of love was lit in both their hearts only that neither knew how to broach the topic. As fate would have it, Gitau came across a book titled The Beautiful Nyakio and this formed the basis of the conversation likely to give hints to Nyakio that he was smitten.
“When that didn’t work very well, I requested her to help me install a video editing software in my laptop. We agreed to meet the following weekend,” he says smiling.
However, as Nyakio reveals, she has never installed the software to date as the meeting turned out to be a reunion of sorts. It also marked the beginning of regular weekend meet ups whenever they had time on their hands, which was a lot of times.
“Ever since we met that weekend, we’ve never spent a weekend apart,” Nyakio says.
Five months was all Gitau needed to take their friendship to the next level. “In September 2016, I took her to Maasai Lodge inside the Nairobi National Park where I asked her to be my girlfriend. Although she was hesitant to accept the offer, she changed her mind before we left the premises,” Gitau reveals.
Gitau remarks that it was inevitable for their relationship to blossom as they had formed a very tight bond. They kept their relationship to themselves for the first few months. “We wanted to be sure of what we were doing before sharing with anyone. Nyakio is also a private person and this is the other reason we kept it under wraps,” he says.
In early 2017, Gitau visited Nyakio’s parents for introduction. The visit paved way for traditional ceremonies, which went on seamlessly culminating with their parents’ blessings to start planning for their wedding.
“It helped that our parents already knew each other. I had also prepared for the day,” says Gitau.
The couple concurs that having a small team to assist with wedding preparations made the planning smoother. “For ease of planning, we thought it wise to have a few people to help us. We also had a tea party to raise part of the finances. We were overwhelmed by the tremendous support we received from our friends and family members,” Nyakio says.The couple exchanged their vows at ACK St Phillips Gachie and later a reception at Jumia Conference Country Home, Limuru, on December 16, 2017.
They advise those headed to marriage to pray and prepare for the day. “Money isn’t the most important thing during wedding preparations. Love and good intention are,” concludes Gitau.
