THE PRIEST WHO CAME BACK AS THE GROOM: Italian former priest, 53, returns to Kenyan village where he once preached — and leaves villagers stunned by his 37-year-old bride
They came expecting to see an Italian stranger marry a Kenyan woman.
Instead, the villagers of Kasiela got the shock of their lives.
The groom was Sandro Ferretto, 53, the Italian Catholic priest who had once walked their dusty roads, celebrated Mass, visited their homes and comforted families in the remote Baringo community.
Only this time, there was no cassock.
Ferretto, who spent about 12 years serving in the area, returned for his traditional Tugen wedding to Sharon Jepngok, 37, in a colourful Koito ceremony at Seretion village.
And when the crowd realised who was standing before them, whispers swept through the homestead.
The man who had once blessed their marriages was now the groom asking them to bless his.
Sharon’s father, former councillor Wendot, had deliberately kept the identity of his future son-in-law quiet, telling villagers only that his daughter was marrying an Italian.
He was rewarded with a spectacle.
Hundreds descended on the homestead, some peering through windows for a glimpse of the mysterious Italian groom.
Then Sandro appeared in a navy-blue three-piece suit with an orange half-coat.
The former priest had traded the altar for the aisle.
The couple had already held their white wedding in Italy in April before returning to Sharon’s ancestral home for the traditional ceremony.
Their relationship began while Sandro was serving as a missionary in Baringo. Sharon eventually told her father in 2024 that the priest had left the priesthood and wanted to marry her.
Catholic priests ordinarily observe celibacy, but a priest who formally leaves the clerical state and receives the required dispensation can marry.
Then the music started.
Sharon and her bridesmaids emerged in brilliant orange kitenge.
Sandro and his Italian entourage followed in matching navy and orange.
The dancing began.
And Father Sandro, once the man at the altar, danced into a completely new life.
They came to see an Italian groom. They discovered their old priest.