100-year-old man finally tells his wife: ‘I do’

One hundred years since his birth in 1910, Abraham Wabwoba is still with us and in love with his wife of 42 years. He has seen two World Wars, lived through 18 World Cup finals and two global economic depressions.

A fortnight ago, Mzee Wabwoba surprised his sleepy village of Tabani near Kitale by walking his wife Sarah down the aisle. For a man well beyond the expected limits of romantic feelings, many consider it unusual to have a wedding anniversary, let alone a marriage ceremony.

So when the Tongaren Parish of the Catholic Church announced that Abraham would wed, it was not a normal happening. Villagers thought it was a waste of time, since Abraham was already customarily married. Moreover, at 100, they really didn’t understand why he was keen on a church wedding.

The man, though frail, would hear none of it. So the church put up a tent in his home to conduct the ceremony. Abraham still has a strong eyesight, and he easily picked out his wife from the congregation. And even as he supported himself on a wooden pole and struggled to take the vows after the priest, he was emphatic: “Sarah is still in my heart. I see no one else.”

Fr Christopher Wafula who conducted the ceremony, likened the two love birds to a car “whose ownership is known, through the plate numbers”. While reports indicate that 28,000 couples exchange vows every year in Kenya, a survey published in the Saturday Nation last month warned that many unions were crumbling.

For Abraham, it is the desire to live by the teachings of the Bible that culminated in his wedding. In Genesis 2:21-24, God commands man to leave his home and form a union with his wife forever. Initially, the church declined to formalise the union. Polygamous unions are not allowed by the Catholic Church. But when his elder wife died in 2002, the doors were open for him to wed in church.

Exchanging vows before more than 100 great grandchildren, it was evident that the couple had beaten many odds to protect the institution of marriage. Abraham was already married to his first wife when Sarah was born, and had a son. His second wife died during child birth.

And now, after years of banking on a culture that binds by bride price, the two have rings and a certificate as proof of marriage. “She understands me. She has been like my sister and friend,” Mzee Wabwoba said. According to his eldest grandson Patrick Wekesa, the man has had six children with his wedded wife and has been healthy.

Kenya has only a handful of people aged 100 years and above. Most of them would be living in their relatives’ homes or old age care centres. But Abraham has always lived in his house, and raised a united family. Abraham, who worked as a porter during the Second World War, spent much of his time away from home.

According to Fr Wafula, today’s marriages are “contract”. Abraham’s and Sarah’s union will be a constant reminder to Kitale residents that marriage is indeed a commitment.