ITALIAN PRIEST SANDRO FERRETTO LEAVES PRIESTHOOD, MARRIES TUGEN WOMAN IN BARINGO

Italian Priest Sandro Ferretto Leaves Priesthood, Marries Tugen Woman in Baringo
Italian-born former Catholic priest Sandro Ferretto has left active priestly ministry and married Sharon Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo South, in a traditional Koito ceremony.
An Italian-born former Catholic priest who spent more than a decade serving communities in Kenya has started a new chapter after marrying a Kenyan woman he met during his missionary work.
Sandro Ferretto, 55, married Sharon Jepng’ok on Sunday, September 6, 2026, in a colourful traditional Koito ceremony held at Seretion Village in Kasiela, Baringo South. 

The ceremony brought together family members, community elders, local leaders, friends and Sharon's colleagues as the couple formalised their union according to Kalenjin customs. Koito is a traditional ceremony that involves family negotiations, dowry arrangements and blessings for the couple. 
Ferretto was ordained a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Padua in Italy before travelling to Kenya in 2008 to begin missionary work.
He served in Kasiela and Mochongoi in Baringo County under the Diocese of Nyahururu, where he became known to residents as Father Sandro. During his years in the region, he was involved in pastoral activities, youth programmes and community development initiatives. 

It was during his missionary years in Baringo that Ferretto reportedly met Sharon Jepng’ok.
Ferretto returned to Italy in December 2020. By 2023, he was serving in a pastoral unit in Saletto, Borgo Veneto, where he was responsible for several churches.
Reports from Italy later indicated that he stepped away from his pastoral responsibilities for a period of reflection. He eventually returned to Kenya, where he reunited with Sharon
His decision to leave active priestly ministry and pursue marriage has since attracted significant attention in Kenya and Italy.

Ferretto's traditional wedding saw him embrace aspects of Sharon's Tugen heritage as the two families came together for the ceremony.
While reports describe him as having left active priestly ministry, his exact canonical status with the Catholic Church has not been publicly confirmed. Under Latin Catholic canon law, priests are ordinarily bound to celibacy, and a priest seeking to marry must obtain the appropriate permissions and dispensation. 
For the couple, however, the September 6 ceremony marked the beginning of a new chapter—bringing together Ferretto's Italian background and Sharon's Tugen roots in a union celebrated in Baringo.
The story has sparked widespread interest online, with photos from the traditional ceremony circulating on social media and many Kenyans commenting on the former priest's unusual journey from the altar to married life.