Love is not a crime as ex-inmates say ‘I do’ on prison grounds

Virginia Kalondu has been to three different juvenile prisons for two different crimes but on Tuesday she said “I do” in the confines of the Kingongo maximum security prison in Nyeri County.

She served her term at the Kirigiti girls’ juvenile prison after being found in possession of bhang, which she was hooked to, and another term for attempted murder. She was released in 2017 after finishing her secondary education.

“I have been in prison for seven years. I was admitted to the juvenile prison when I was young. After finishing high school, I was to be taken to the Lang’ata women’s prison but the judge had mercy on me and I was released on that day,” she said.

Inside the Kingongo prison chapel, donning a white gown, she towered above her groom Martin Mzera, who was clad in a navy-blue suit and a pink tie, as they read their vows to each other in a wedding that was officiated by a Korean priest.

In place of family and friends who would have gathered to witness the union, the chapel was filled with prison wardens and members of the Korean community who were the conveners of the event. This is the first prison wedding to take place in Kenya.

The couple are ex-convicts who served in different prisons at different times until they met during a world youth camp sponsored by the International Youth Programme.

“I was volunteering in one of their programmes and that is when I met Virginia and we started having conversations about our pasts and I liked her back in 2017. We officiated the relationship in September last year,” said Mr Mzera.

In 2014, when Mr Mzera finished high school, he joined a gang that was involved in heists until he was apprehended and locked up at the Kingorani prison in Mombasa.

“When I was presented in court, the judge was lenient with me and I was given one year to serve in jail, where I first interacted with the Mind Education team, who continued to support me even after I was released from prison,” he said.

Mind Education helps prisoners deal with their anger, emotions and overall mental health. For the couple, this propelled their lives to where they are now.

“While in juvenile prison, I had taken interest in the mind education and I feel it helped to prevent me from being sent to the Lang’ata prison,” said Ms Kalondu.

After being released, she advanced her mind education at Maham Bible College, a Korean institution based in Nairobi, where she met Mr Mzera.

“When I met him, at the back of my mind I did not think that anyone would have loved me, especially with the knowledge of my past crimes but he did,” she said.

“I had given up on love. We used to hold minor conversations and we then walked to our pastor to notify him that we would love to get married. He ensured we did here.”

Ms Kalondu, 24, was released from prison in 2017 while Mr Mzare, 28, was released in 2016.

“I decided to have my wedding here because prison is like home to me. I have been in prison for seven years and in all those years I never met someone who made me feel like I belong more than this place,” she said.

As theirs is a story of hope, they aim to visit prisons countrywide to encourage other inmates that there is life beyond the confines of a prison and they can find love and lead a normal life outside prison.

“We want to give them hope that when they come out of prison they can find love and gel with the community,” said Mr Mzera, noting that the greatest challenge is being discriminated against when ex-convicts attempt to go back to their old lives.

At the event, around 65 inmates were awarded certificates in mindset education and theology while over 300 others joined the ceremony virtually from 22 correctional centres in Kenya.

The one-year course started in 2020 to help inmates deal with anger and their emotions. It was offered free of charge by the IYF Maham Bible College and the Kenya Prisons Service.

Mr Yusuf Koitabok, the prison commander, said the course impacted inmates as it helps them improve their lives by holding a positive outlook. Some of them were ordained as priests to practise within the facility.

“This training gave us hope and the mindset training helped us cope during Covid-19 period,” Mr Mzera said.

Regional prison Commander Patrick Arandu urged prisoners to advance their theology skills to diploma level as it is offered for free.

“Let us (strive) to be better people that want change, not only in our lives but also our nation when we are set free,” he said.