Outspoken lawyer Wahome Thuku has faulted the manner in which the wedding of Kirinyaga Governor Anne Mumbi and Kamotho Waiganjo was conducted.
The governor, previously known as Anne Waiguru, tied the knot with city lawyer Waiganjo on Saturday in a traditional wedding ceremony known as 'Ngurario' among the Agikuyu community.
The ceremony, which was officiated by respected elder Clement Warorwa, involved various rituals such as slaughtering a goat, from which various meat parts such as 'kiande', 'ngirima' and 'ikengeto' were cut for various purposes and reasons.
Donning traditional Gikuyu regalia, the couple was also blessed with 'muratina' by their parents after they vowed that they will never divorce or separate.
However, without disputing the manner or the order in which the rituals were performed, Thuku said the wedding was not a "true" Agikuyu ceremony due to existence of a guest list and invitation cards.
"And that is where it ceases being a true Agîkûyû ceremony. In a real Agîkûyû traditional event, everyone would be invited. In fact there was nothing like invitation because everyone with time to spare would come," he said in a Facebook post on Saturday.
"Even in my young days in the village such a wedding, more so of the governor, would have been the most monument. The place to be. Boys would travel from four ridges away, just to come and see cars. It would be a day talked about for seven harvests to come," said Thuku, who is a former journalist.
Expressing similar sentiments, Lempaa Soyinka, an advocate of the High Court, said a traditional wedding cannot be for a selected few.
"African wedding has never been "invite only "....African wedding is for the community and not selected few!" Soyinka tweeted.
The ceremony which has been dubbed as the "wedding of the year" was attended by prominent politicians who included President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka among others.
Despite being an "invite only" ceremony, a source who attended the event confirmed nobody was blocked from accessing the venue at Kiamugumo Primary School in Gichugu Constituency.