Death after Kenyan wedding row

The mother of the 25-year-old Kenyan man who married a 67-year-old woman on Friday has died after suffering suspected high blood pressure, only three days after publicly denouncing the marriage

Wambui and Mbugua's happy day has turned very sour

Florence Nyambura, who was 14 years younger than her new daughter-in-law, died at a hospital near Nakuru in the Rift Valley Province.

Ms Nyambura was angered by her son's decision to marry Ms Wambui and refused to accept the marriage.

Ms Wambui told BBC News Online that she was shattered by the news of her new mother-in-law's sudden death.

"It is sad, so sad that she had to die now," Ms Wambui said.

Ms Wambui said her late mother-in-law of four days had been suffering from high blood pressure for a long time and had even suggested that she go to the capital, Nairobi, for specialised medical treatment.

"She refused the offer, saying that a local Church had offered prayers and she would get well soon," Ms Wambui told BBC News Online.

When I asked the elderly bride whether she regarded the death of her mother-in-law as a bad omen, she said it was just one of many mysterious twists and turns in life.

"This is life. We will all go at some point".

Boycott

The wedding between 67-year-old Wambui and 25-year-old Mbugua at the Attorney-General's chambers in Nairobi attracted hundreds of curious onlookers.

It has also been big news in Kenya's newspapers where opinions have been divided over the age gap between the newly weds.

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Wambui's children boycotted the ceremony, saying that their mother would live to regret the day she married a "boy" who is 42 years her junior.

They described the marriage as a disgrace to the family.

The marriage also divided Kenya's churches on the correct biblical interpretation of the marriage, with a senior Catholic priest describing the marriage as uncouth.

But Kenyan feminists hit back saying that love does not recognise age barriers.

E-mailers to BBC News Online have also been divided on the issue