BARINGO, Kenya — Italian-born missionary priest Sandro Ferretto, who spent 12 years serving Catholic communities in Kenya’s Baringo County, has left the priesthood and married Sharon Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo South.
The couple held a traditional Koito ceremony on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Seretion Village in Kasiela, where Ferretto previously served as a parish priest.
The ceremony brought together relatives, community elders, local leaders and Sharon’s colleagues for the customary dowry negotiations and family blessing.
Ferretto, 55, is a former priest of the Diocese of Padua in Italy and became widely known in Baringo through his missionary and community work.
From Italian priest to ‘Father Sandro’ in Baringo
Ferretto began his missionary work in Kenya in 2008, serving in the Kasiela and Mochongoi areas under the Diocese of Nyahururu.
During his years in Baringo, he was involved in pastoral activities, youth programmes and community development initiatives.
His long association with local residents earned him a familiar identity in the area, where many people knew him simply as “Father Sandro.”
His marriage to Sharon has attracted attention in both Kenya and Italy because of his lengthy service among communities in Baringo and his decision to leave active priestly ministry.
Ferretto returns to Italy
In December 2020, Ferretto returned to Italy together with fellow missionary priest Fr Mariano Dal Ponte.
By 2023, he was leading a pastoral unit in Saletto, Borgo Veneto, where he was responsible for eight churches.
Local media reported in December 2023 that Ferretto had stepped down from the position for a period of reflection.
He later returned to Kenya, where he reunited with Sharon, whom he had met during his missionary service in Baringo.
The couple eventually formalised their relationship through the traditional Koito ceremony.
What is a Koito ceremony?
Koito is a traditional Kalenjin ceremony associated with marriage arrangements, including discussions between families over dowry and the formalisation of a union.
The ceremony brings together relatives and elders from both families and provides an opportunity for the families to negotiate customary marriage arrangements and give their blessing to the couple.
Ferretto and Sharon’s ceremony therefore combined his long association with the Baringo community with a significant Kalenjin cultural tradition.
What Catholic law says about priests and marriage
Ferretto’s decision to marry follows his departure from active priestly ministry.
In the Latin Church, Catholic priests ordinarily undertake an obligation of celibacy and are not permitted to marry while remaining in the clerical state.
A priest who wishes to leave the priesthood and marry must normally seek a formal dispensation from the obligations of clerical state and celibacy through the Church’s established process.
This process is commonly referred to as laicization.
Once a priest has been formally dispensed from the obligations of clerical state and celibacy, he is no longer an active member of the clergy and may marry in accordance with the permissions granted by the Church.
The Church’s rules distinguish between leaving active ministry and formally being released from the obligations attached to priestly ordination. Simply stopping priestly work does not, by itself, remove the obligations of the clerical state.
Foreign missionaries have shaped Kenya’s Catholic Church
Ferretto’s story also reflects the long history of foreign Catholic missionaries in Kenya.
Missionary priests and religious orders from Europe, Latin America and other parts of the world have served in Kenyan dioceses for decades, particularly in regions where churches have historically relied on international missionary support.
Some diocesan priests serve under fidei donum arrangements, remaining incardinated in their home dioceses while undertaking missionary assignments in another country.
Italian-founded missionary organisations have also had a significant presence in Kenya.
The Comboni Missionaries, for example, have worked in dioceses including Marsabit, Lodwar, Kitale, Nairobi and Ngong, with their activities spanning evangelisation, education, healthcare and community development.
Missionaries from Britain and Ireland, including the Mill Hill Missionaries, also played an important role in establishing Catholic institutions and parishes in parts of western Kenya.
The Guadalupe Missionaries from Mexico have likewise worked in the Diocese of Kisumu since the 1960s.
