‘Yes I do,’ Nigerian tells minister

They came, they saw, they conquered. Not Julius Caesar this time round, but the Nigerians. And when they claimed one of our own, they did it in style, complete with the military commands of Caesar’s days.

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Led by Lagos State MP Tule Adejare, the Nigerians were in Kenya to “take possession” of Kathiani MP Petti Wavinya Ndeti-Oduwale at a ceremony attended by the two countries’ who’s who.

Dr Adejare’s brother Henry Oduwale came to seal the missing link in his marriage to Wavinya, Kenya’s assistant minister for Youth and Sports.

The couple met in the 1990s while pursuing university degrees in the UK. And yes, there was church wedding in the UK, but that did not rule out the Kamba traditional wedding in Mua Hill Village two weeks ago.

Guests included the young and restless and those, like wine, well-matured. Ms Winnie Wangui, she of the Armenian brothers fame, was there, composed and appearing at peace with herself; and so was Kiambaa MP Stanley Githunguri.

The outspoken Kilonzos, Charles (Yatta, MP) and Kiema (Mutito) too, were present, as were Machakos Town’s Dr Victor Munyaka and Mr Charles Nyamai (Kitui West).

For Mr Oduwale, a certified public accountant in the UK where he lives, getting the hands of the bride from the assembled Kamba elders was an uphill task. Dr Adejare and the best men from the UK went down on their backs “pleading” to take away the bride.

The rest stood up after spending some good minutes on the floor, but left behind the bridegroom, who refused to stand up until he was given an assurance that indeed, the bride was his for keeps.

But as relatives from both sides stood opposite each other before the bride was officially handed over to the Nigerians, one Nigerian, Mrs Bukky Balagun, a lawyer and the bridegrooms eldest sister, brought an “objection”.

Mrs Balagun is a Queens Counsel — the equivalent of State Counsel in Kenya. She “defected” to the bride’s side and complicated matters when she introduced an amendment requiring that all the men from the bridegroom’s side undergo military-style drills under her command to determine their ability to take care of a bride. Her objection was readily upheld. The Nigerians responded to commands well: “Left turn!”, “Right turn!”; “About-turn!”, “Quick march!” Visitors were left in stitches.

Henry’s mother Iyabode Oduwale died in 2004, while his father Adeneke Oduwale died in the 1960s. Both were from Nigerian royal families.

This explains why Henry’s sisters and brothers wore bracelets that defined their royal status. The seven siblings are all professionals in various fields.

Then came the cutting of the cake, only that roasted goat meat took the place of the cake. The “newly weds” chopped it into pieces then fed each other before going round to serve their guests.

So, what took them so long to wed?

In 2003, they had planned to have it when she was expecting her third child and Henry came visiting. But Immigration officials said her husband had to leave, and claimed he was under police investigations.