'It is just after lunchtime, and a pastor, some elders, a chief, and two youths, a man and a lady, are seated outside a house.

Prayers are also being whispered from a distance, with the two young-looking people in the center.

Women come from a distance, carrying bags and utensils, but they halt to enable the gathering to conclude their activities.

The ceremony closes fifteen minutes later, and the young couple is brought to a nearby residence, which happens to be where the man is from.

The women carrying the luggage and utensils leave them at the man's house and accompany the bride to her new home.

The brief ceremony at the local arena was a hasty marriage ceremony for two young people caught in a premarital act.

Premarital relationships are illegal in Milalulu village, Tana River County, and anyone discovered engaging in them are married immediately.

"We reject premarital unions because they result in sin, and children are born out of wedlock. As a result, we prefer that before we reach that far, people band together so that they can do it correctly "Ali Mohammed, an elder, says

Muslims make up the bulk of the population in this village in the Galole constituency.

Sexual relations between unmarried couples are prohibited, which explains the low rate of teen pregnancies.

Unless they are connected, young people are not allowed to conduct private discussions or be in the same room without an adult.

"It is a matter of caution since it always begins with secret meetings before progressing to escapades, and at the end, one is heartbroken or left in a terrible situation," said priest Mohammed Komora.

Sheikh Komora stated that the ceremony does not require individuals' approval if it is shown that they are in an open premarital relationship.
In most situations, the couple must marry right away, but the ceremony might also take place at the man's house in front of his parents.

The bride's parents may later claim dowry from the groom's family.

"If the parents object to the ceremony, the family loses respect in the village because word will spread that the parents are rearing a 'prostitute' in the village who people should be wary of." "No parent wants to go around in such embarrassment," the cleric remarked.

This has pushed parents in the community to be wary about their children's location to keep them out of danger.

Pregnancy outside of marriage is considered disgusting, and the lady endures trauma across the village as she is presented as a negative example in conversations.

She is labeled a prostitute and barred from women's gatherings; she is also barred from marrying anybody in the village other than the man who made her pregnant.

"When it reaches you, it is difficult to oppose the marriage. You should go and suffer in it rather than being dubbed a prostitute across the village because you lose respect from children and even your peers "Mwanahamisi Jilo, who participated in the event, remarked