John-Allan Namu, a well-known investigative journalist, has openly admitted regret about the significant sum of money he spent on his marriage to Makena Ngondi in 2010.
Namu recently discussed how he gave in to family pressure, resulting in lavish wedding costs that ultimately put a heavy financial burden on the couple in an interview on the “Financially Incorrect” show.
The couple’s wedding, which had a whopping 632 guests in attendance, was described by Namu as “fantastic” by those in attendance but extremely taxing on Namu’s finances.
“I had 632 people attend my wedding and I spent Sh1.5 million. It was a fantastic wedding for people who attended it, but in the back of my mind, I was like, how am I going to pay for all of this?”
The investigative journalist highlighted that the financial strain from the wedding led to both personal sacrifices and financial hardship.
“I had paid part of it and my wife Makena had to sell her car, and I got a sh1.5 million unsecured loan,” Namu revealed.
Family expectations played a significant role in the lavish wedding, as Namu explained that pressure from relatives to invite a large number of guests influenced their decisions.
“I got married before my elder brother and there was pressure from the family to invite people. Our initial cap was set at 250 guests, but the guest list kept growing, and every time we tried to resist, we were outnumbered,” he explained.
Namu expressed deep regret over yielding to the pressure and making the wedding financially burdensome.
He believes that the substantial sum spent on the wedding could have been allocated differently for greater financial stability.
“One of the biggest regrets that I have is caving to that pressure. That amount of money would have done so much for us,” he said.
The aftermath of the extravagant wedding was a financial struggle, particularly the unsecured loan taken to cover the wedding expenses.
“It took me time to pay that loan, it was the most painful loan that I have ever paid,” Namu confessed.
Drawing from his own experience, Namu said that he has been advising young couples not to bow to familial pressure when planning their weddings.
He encouraged couples to prioritize their financial stability and long-term well-being over fleeting expectations.
“Every time I meet a young couple who want to get married, I tell them not to cave into that pressure. That anger from your parents will fade,” he concluded.
