A 75-year-old man from Samburu has finally taken a wife, fulfilling a cultural obligation that had eluded him for decades and, in doing so, clearing the path for his daughters to start families of their own.
Leneo Lekimain wed Turugusian Leokono in Yare village, Samburu County, in a ceremony steeped in tradition.
Dowry was paid, and goats were cooked to mark the formal beginning of the union, customs observed just as they would be for any other Samburu couple.
Why Samburu man married his long-time partner at 75 years
For the Samburu, remaining unmarried until death carries consequences that go well beyond the grave. Elder Samuel Lenanyuki put it plainly: Search option is now available at TUKO! Feel free to search the content on topics/people you enjoy reading about in the top right corner 😉
“According to our customs, it is bad to die without a family. You must get married. That is why the old man has married. We have been encouraging him to do so because it is bad to die without getting married. When someone dies without having married, even their burial becomes a problem. That is what our customs dictate, and we follow our traditions.”
Leneo himself expressed deep relief.
“I am very happy. Now I have a wife, and I feel like a real man,” he said.
Money had long been the barrier standing between him and the altar. After spending time in Mombasa, he returned to Samburu with little to his name and no means to fund a wedding.
The turning point came through the Samburu County Government, which stepped in during the recently concluded Maralal International Camel Derby and provided everything required for the ceremony.
Samburu county official Everlyn Lentaano explained the intervention:
“The old man is very happy because when he returned from Mombasa, he had nothing and could not afford to get married. Now, the county government has given him the opportunity to have a wedding by providing everything needed for the ceremony.”
A Samburu wedding that freed an entire family
The marriage carried weight beyond Leneo himself. His wife’s daughters had been unable to proceed with their own wedding plans until their mother formally married, making the union a milestone for the whole family rather than just the couple.
Elder Lelesin Lekimain also highlighted that Samburu tradition offers room for those without biological children. Custom permits a man to adopt and raise children his wife had with another man, ensuring that family life remains accessible regardless of circumstance.
He used the occasion to call on younger generations to resist abandoning their roots.
“I urge our young people not to blindly adopt Western lifestyles and culture, which we are increasingly embracing despite not being familiar with them. Instead, I urge them to remember where we come from and uphold our traditions,” he said.
