Digital strategist and Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Coordination, Dennis Itumbi has opened up about his personal views on marriage, relationships, and fatherhood during an interview with SPM Buzz.
Speaking with striking honesty, Itumbi challenged long-held societal expectations while expressing confidence in his ability to pursue a long-term relationship when he chooses to.
“I Don’t Think I’ll Have a Problem Approaching Someone”
Addressing questions about whether he envisions settling down soon, Itumbi dismissed any suggestion that he struggles with commitment.
He stated, “I don’t think I’ll have a problem with approaching someone I want to have a long-term relationship with. It will not be an issue.”
He added that the same confidence extends to fatherhood, saying, “And if I want kids, I don’t think I will have too much trouble to seek one. I am in good placement; I don’t think I have an issue on that sector of searching and putting an effort.”
Also read : Itumbi: Uhuru Kenyatta Signed Original Cybercrimes Bill in 2018, Ruto Only Amended It
However, Itumbi emphasized that his reluctance to settle down is rooted in wanting toto respect the time and emotional investment of the other person.
He explained, “It’s just that I don’t want to waste someone’s time. If someone wants to get married, I don’t want them to be tied on one place.”
“I Don’t Want to Make Decisions While Holding Someone’s Daughter”
Itumbi underscored that he avoids committing until he is fully ready, noting the weight of leading another person into major life decisions.
He put it clearly:
“I want them to be free, and I don’t want to make decisions while holding someone’s daughter.”
He revealed that when that chapter of life arrives, he will embrace it fully:
“So when that time comes to make that decision, I’ll make the decision and the steps thereof. I don’t think I am unable to do.”
Itumbi shared that he has been studying marriage traditions from the Kikuyu community, including insights from Jomo Kenyatta’s Facing Mount Kenya.
He said, “I have read Jomo Kenyatta’s journal on Facing Mount Kenya and on Kikuyu culture and how to get married, so I know what I have to do.”
His comments suggest that, while he is not in a hurry, he acknowledges the cultural framework and understands what traditional marriage entails.
Marriage: “Neither Here Nor There”
In one of his most notable statements, Itumbi challenged the belief that marriage is a required milestone.
“The marriage thing is such an issue… it is neither here nor there,” he said.
He argued that modern society has made marriage appear like a mandatory achievement immediately after securing a job or stability.
“My view is it’s an institution that has culturalised that after you get a job, you get married. I don’t think it’s a compulsory rite of life; I just think it’s something that’s there to make people happy.”
Itumbi went further, explaining that many of the benefits typically associated with marriage can be found outside it.
He noted:
“If the issue of marriage is children, I can get them without marriage.
If the issue of marriage is companionship, I can get it without marriage.
I don’t see any compelling reason that marriage is a compulsory issue.”
“A Past Without Heartbreak — and a Romance Rumour That Never Was”
Itumbi’s latest comments arrive after a series of personal revelations he made earlier this year. In a Q&A session with SPM Buzz, he surprised many by stating that he has never experienced heartbreak.
“Never had a heartbreak,” he said simply.
He joked that both heartbreak and another “universal experience”—being asked for fare and losing it—are challenges he has yet to face.
“Somebody should do them,” he laughed.
His name has long been entangled with speculation about his relationship with former TV journalist Jacque Maribe, a narrative he addressed in August on the Off The Grid podcast.
Itumbi clarified that the viral photo of them kissing was not an intimate moment but the result of a birthday party dare during a truth-or-bottle game, where refusing the kiss carried a Sh50,000 penalty.
“I mean surely, I lose 50,000 instead of benefit from a kiss?” he joked.
Though light-hearted in tone, Itumbi admitted the narrative grew far beyond the truth, becoming something he still has to explain years later.
“I sincerely wish I had made it true,” he said, noting that it might have prevented the story from being exaggerated. “Even today, if I approach a girl first, I have to explain the Jacque Maribe bit. We overplayed it.”
He stressed that despite the public assumptions, his connection with Maribe has always been—and remains—a strong friendship.
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