“I never paid dowry. When entering into marriage, you come to realize it resembles a transaction,” says Dennis Okari.
Former NTV investigative journalist Dennis Okari has shared a deeply personal truth. As Dennis and Naomi Joy embarked on their marital journey, they faced financial constraints that burdened them heavily.
The weight of this tradition bore down on Dennis, rendering him unable to fulfill the customary expectation of paying dowry for his beloved wife Naomi. It was a burden he simply could not shoulder at that moment in their lives.
With a heavy heart, Dennis turned to his bride, Naomi, seeking solace and understanding. He requested her to speak to her parents, hoping they would empathize with his sincere financial struggles. To his immense relief, their response surpassed his expectations, as they embraced the couple’s love as the true bedrock of their union, without insisting on the customary dowry.
“My wife took it upon herself to approach her mother and kindly requested her not to insist on any dowry from me,” he reveals.
Okari recounted how he, accompanied by his father and uncles, visited his in-laws. To his surprise, when they inquired about the dowry requirements, his in-laws simply responded with the word “nothing.”
“They stepped out of the house and said to me, ‘You’re the luckiest person alive. They didn’t ask for anything,'” he recounted. “I made a promise to my wife that I would do something special for her mother, and a year later, I constructed a brand-new bungalow with multiple bedrooms for her,” Dennis confesses.
Over the course of four years, Dennis and Naomi have navigated through the ups and downs of married life, their bond growing stronger with each passing day. Amidst their shared journey, Dennis later on built a magnificent 3-bedroom bungalow, for his mother-in-law.
Dennis Okari and Naomi nuptials went down at Ridgeways Baptist Church in Nairobi, on the fifteenth day of February in the year 2019. It remains etched in their memories as a cherished moment, where vows were exchanged and hearts became entwined.
During a sacred gathering known as the Daughters of Zion (DOZ) meeting, hosted by the Reverend Kathy Kiuna at Jubilee Christian Church (JCC), where Denni was a guest, he fearlessly disclosed that he had not adhered to the age-old tradition of paying dowry for his beloved wife Naomi before their wedding.
“I never paid dowry. When entering into marriage, you come to realize it resembles a transaction,” Dennis Okari explained candidly.
Sitting down with his wife, he opened up about his financial situation, disclosing, “This is the money I have in my account. If your uncles expect 10 cows and other costly items, I simply don’t possess that kind of wealth.”
“However, I promise to give you a beautiful wedding, take you to a wonderful honeymoon destination, and provide you with a home. But at present, I don’t have the means to meet those traditional expectations,” he confided.
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