Former Italian priest marries Kenyan woman in Baringo

Sandro Ferretto, an Italian-born former Catholic priest, has married Sharon Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo South, Kenya. The couple held a traditional Koito ceremony on September 6 at Seretion Village in Kasiela, a community where Ferretto previously served as a parish priest.

Ferretto, 55, was ordained for the Diocese of Padua in Italy and began missionary work in Kenya in 2008. During his twelve years of service under the Diocese of Nyahururu in the Kasiela and Mochongoi regions, he met Jepng’ok. After returning to Italy in 2020 and later resigning from the priesthood in 2023, Ferretto returned to Kenya to reunite with Jepng’ok.

The marriage has drawn significant attention in both Kenya and Italy due to the transition from his long-standing religious service to a traditional union, which is prohibited under Latin Catholic canon law for active clergy.