Outspoken city Pastor Godfrey Migwi now says he will never officiate any marriage that the man has not seen the wife to be without makeup three weeks to the wedding day.
In a Facebook post, the pastor says that makeups have become a form of deception and a cause of divorce, since men marry a different face from what they see.
“I will never officiate any wedding in the church if the man has not got the privilege to see the bride face to face without makeups at least three weeks in their courtship,” wrote Migwi.
He also urged other clergymen to follow suit, as the practice is a major cause of confusion and divorce in marriages.
“And I urge other church ministers to follow suit ,this is one of the most part of the reasons people divorce akioga unaona mtu mwingine mwenye hawafanani na yule wako (when she take bath you see another person who does not look like the one you married),” he added.
As of December 31, 2019, 1,108 people had filed petitions to dissolve their unions at the Milimani High Court, compared to 1,009 in 2018, and 909 in 2017.
These might not represent the real numbers since most couples go separate ways without involving the court.
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According the marriage Act of 2014, the court may grant divorce in a case where spouses have been separated for at least two years, whether voluntary or by a decision of the court or where a spouse has deserted the partner for at least three years or where one of the spouses has been sent to prison for a term of seven years or more.
Last year, High Court judge Reuben Nyakundi ruled against Section 66 (1) of the Marriage Act, 2014, which provides that a party to a civil marriage may not petition the court for the separation or for the dissolution of the marriage, unless three years have elapsed since the celebration of the marriage.
Justice Nyakundi ruled that marriage is a union of willing partners, hence they should be at liberty to leave any time they feel not contented.
According to a recent study in South Africa, marital infidelity, lack of communication, parental intervention, prolonged distance between couples, and violence were listed as the major causes of divorce.
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In addition to the primary sources of divorce, sexual plasticity, religion, normalization of remarriage, higher expectations upon entering into marriage and lack of premarital understanding placed pressure on marital relationship.
Marriage is a key ingredient of the African culture, and divorce was considered as the last resort in couple differences. However, in the recent times, divorce has been an everyday aspect of life in cases where couples do not agree.
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