Wedding traditions of Nairobi
A city of ruracio, church weddings and committees of friends who raise money to pay for the day.
Kenyan weddings often involve the ruracio, a Kikuyu bride price ceremony, and a church or civil ceremony. Friends form a wedding committee that raises money for the costs, a mix of tradition and modern habit. The Marriage Act of 2014 recognises civil, Christian, customary, Hindu and Islamic marriages.
A wedding here
The groom's family visits the bride's family in a ceremony of exchange, with gifts such as goats, cash and cloth. Guests dress in matching colours. The ceremony is followed by a feast of nyama choma, rice and ugali.
Law and change
The minimum age is 18. The law allows polygamy under customary and Islamic marriage. Same-sex marriage is not recognised.
Wedding customs of Nairobi
Also part of it, and being written: Ruracio (The Kikuyu ceremony.), Kikuyu people (The community.), Nyama choma (The meat dish.).
Communities and their weddings in Nairobi
- Kikuyu families The ruracio.
- Luo families A traditional ceremony of the visit.
- Maasai families A ceremony with beads.
A wedding trail idea for Nairobi
- Gikomba Market A large cloth and clothing market.
- All Saints Cathedral An Anglican cathedral.
- Karura Forest A forest used for photographs.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Bride price: Пимоненко Николай Корнилиевич, Public domain, source