Love can find you anytime, anywhere and in any state, according to relationship coaches. This may be the case of a 99-year-old Kenyan man with name Johana Maritim Butuk, who got married to his 40-year-old girlfriend, Alice Jemeli, after 20 years of dating.
It was gathered that Butuk and Jemeli tied the knot in a colourful wedding ceremony in Soy, Uasin Gishu County on Saturday, January 14, 2023.
According to reports, the lovebirds met in 2003 when Jemeli was 20 years old and Butuk was 69, and their age difference did not get in the way of their affection.
Jemeli was said to have proposed to Jemeli in December 2022, with plans of a wedding ceremony starting immediately.
News medium, The Standard reports that it was Butuk's first marriage since he has never dated a woman for the 99 years he has lived, but Jemeli has three children from a previous relationship and is happy Butuk has accepted them.
The couple celebrated the nuptial at their mud-walled house in Tuiyobei Soy B village. They were walking around the unfenced homestead, with a few relatives present.
The colourful wedding which was made possible by contributions from neighbours and well-wishers who heard of their plan to walk down the aisle was said to have taken place at the nearby St Mark’s Soy B Catholic Church, where the couple exchanged their marriage vows
When The Standard arrived at their home, they found the love birds discussing plans to build a grandiose house for themselves, their financial inadequacy notwithstanding.
"I did not marry my entire life because I have always wanted peace of mind. I was also busy with menial jobs, and when I decided to marry all my friends were already grandfathers. But when I met my wife, I discovered that I found what I wanted in life. Alice talks less and helps navigate challenges in life,” Butuk says.
He adds: “She was young when we first met, and I loved her because of her humility. I was first introduced to her by a woman called Tabasei, and we connected well despite the age differences. I am happy because my wife is now mature and responsible.”
"I loved him when we first met in 2003. I had quit an abusive relationship, but when I met Mzee (Butuk) through a woman, I loved him because he was humble and listened to me. He was old, and I decided to be his helper because I knew that I would become a married woman like other women,” Jemeli says
According to Jemeli, Butuk was homeless and unkempt when they first met, adding that she prides in changing his life.
"I have been late in many things, but today I am happy because I am a married man. I was initiated in 1943, way after my age mates had been circumcised. I am confident that the happiness in my marriage will make me live longer,” says Butuk.
Jemeli, his wife, says she earns Sh3,000 a month as a house girl in a neighbouring home.
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“Our wedding was colourful, and we are celebrating it at our humble home. We have no money because even our wedding ceremony was financed by neighbours and our friends in the Church. We can’t even go to the nearby Soy Club for a meal," she says.
The couple says they plan to build a bigger and more comfortable house despite their financial challenges.
"Many people did not approve of our marriage because they thought I was after Mzee's wealth. But it is not true because my husband has no wealth. Compared to young men that I dated before falling in love with my husband, I chose mzee because he gives me the freedom to work and take care of my children in peace,” Jemeli explains.
"What makes me even happy is that mzee is now happier,” she adds.
Butuk’s nephew Sally Chepkoech says all of her uncle’s siblings are dead. He was the eldest.
Another nephew, Roseline Mutai says Butuk is healthy because of eating raw traditional vegetables and wild fruits.
“He eats just one meal a day, and he hates food cooked with refined oils. He was never married or dated his entire life. We thank his new wife for helping him. We want him to live many more years,” she says.
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