An Italian-born former Catholic priest, Father Sandro Ferretto, has left the priesthood and married a Kenyan woman, Sharon Jepng’ok, in a colourful traditional ceremony in Baringo County, Kenya.
Ferretto, 55, previously served as a Catholic parish priest in Kasiela and Mochongoi in Baringo County, where he spent about 12 years carrying out missionary and community work.
Reports indicate that he met Sharon, a Tugen woman and daughter of former councillor John Wendot, while serving as a missionary in the region. Their relationship reportedly grew over time, eventually leading Ferretto to step away from the priesthood and pursue family life.
The former priest and Sharon formalised their union through a traditional Koito ceremony at Seretion Village in Kasiela, Baringo South, on Sunday, September 6, 2026. The ceremony is part of the Kalenjin customary marriage process and involves family participation, dowry negotiations and blessings.
Videos and photographs from the ceremony have since gone viral on social media, showing Ferretto dressed in a suit and celebrating alongside his bride and other guests.
In one of the widely shared videos, the former cleric was seen dancing with Sharon as friends, relatives and community members joined in the celebration.
Ferretto was ordained a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Padua in Italy before beginning his missionary work in Kenya in 2008. He later served in communities including Kasiela and Mochongoi in Baringo County.
His decision to leave active ministry comes against the backdrop of the Catholic Church’s requirement that Latin-rite priests observe celibacy. A priest who wishes to marry must first leave active priestly ministry and obtain the necessary release from clerical obligations.
Ferretto’s marriage to Sharon has attracted widespread attention in Kenya, particularly because of his long association with the communities where he previously served as a priest.
