Zim GBC News Network
Mzee Johanna Butuuk, the Kenyan man who captured hearts worldwide when he married for the first time at the age of 99, has passed away at 101, just two years after his wedding to 40-year-old Alice Jepkorir.
According to a family member, the centenarian died peacefully in his sleep a few days ago, having suffered from no prior illness.
The couple’s unique love story went viral in 2023 when they tied the knot in a colourful ceremony in Soy, Uasin Gishu County, after an astonishing 20 years of dating. The wedding was a significant event, especially as it was Butuuk’s first time leaving bachelorhood.
Speaking to the press, family member Sally Chepkoech confirmed the news and reflected on the joyous wedding day, which was presided over by Catholic priests.
“It was a big wedding ceremony, and it was even presided over by priests of the Catholic church who came to our home compound for the wedding,” Chepkoech said in a past interview.
She explained that the decision to find Butuuk a wife came from the man himself, who was concerned about being alone in his old age.
“He has never been married before, and so when we, his nieces and nephews, got married, he asked us who would take care of him because we were all married and away. That is when we actually decided to look for a wife for him so that he could finally have someone by his side,” she added.
For her part, the bride, Alice Jepkorir, had previously expressed deep affection for her elderly husband, praising his character and the stability he provided. She contrasted her relationship with him to her experiences with younger men.
“I love him so much because he is an unproblematic man, unlike those young men who get drunk and beat up their wives,” Jepkorir said in 2023.
“Even the previous man who impregnated me never helped me at all. This man helps me pay school fees and take care of my children.”
Their story, a testament to love’s defiance of conventional age barriers, concludes with the peaceful passing of Mzee Butuuk, who finally found companionship in the last chapter of his long life.
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