90 DAY FIANCÉ COUPLE BENJAMIN AND AKINYI SHARE DETAILS OF THEIR WEDDING AND PARENTING 

By Kevin Koech | September 14, 2021

Akinyi Obala from Kenya and Benjamin Taylor from Arizona first appeared on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 3. The couple sat down with  Cheptoek Boyo for a Q & A session where they discussed the challenges they faced while dating online, paying dowry and Akinyi’s life in United States after tying the knot.

Q: You guys met on a dating app, what attracted you to each other? 

Akinyi: He smiles all the time. So his smile was the first thing that I saw that attracted me to him

Benjamin: She just liked my photos and I was like, ‘ there’s no way that this beautiful person would be interested in me’. But I think Akinyi said she saw a picture of me with two of my co-workers was the thing that made her unsure of me. 

Q: What are some of the dating challenges you guys had while dating on the app? 

Benjamin: Definitely the time zones were a challenge because I would get up early and she’d have to say up late to try and make time where would be able to communicate. One of the things that I was originally hesitant was when she had asked me to text her and get off the app and I was like, ‘yeah I’ve seen these scams where people ask you to text and end up losing everything’ but I missed her and a couple of days and I decided to text her.

Q: At what point did you guys decide to do a video call to just know each other? 

Akinyi: We started with texting first and then he sent me a picture of himself, I sent him my pictures just so that we know that we’re both talking to each other and then we started with voice notes. We did voice notes for a while then we did voice calls and ended up video calling.

Q: You appeared on the season 3 of the 90 Day Fiancé: Before 90 Days, how did you get in the show?

Benjamin: I sent an email and I said, ‘hey I want to meet this girl that I have been talking to and I think she is my love and match and you guy should come along and sure enough they showed up and came with me.

Q: Paying dowry has its own challenges whether you’re an African or a White Man, was there a moment where you almost giving up Benjamin? 

Benjamin: I never wanted to give up, but when everything came up I spoke to Akinyi and it was one of those moments where I told her, ‘I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable but I think this is something that I’m not used to, I mean she’s priceless how can you have a number to somebody’s so wonderful and supportive.

Q: Getting a Visa for US is quite a hard task and also challenging. How was your Akinyi?

Akinyi: It was long and hectic and it was the time when covid pandemic had started so when I was about to get it, the pandemic hit and we had to wait for a whole year, then when we were about to get it again, they could find my papers and so I had to really again. 

Q: What was the most shocking thing after getting to the US?

Akinyi: This will always be our story. I landed in New York and I had four suitcases plus one that I had carried on the plane. I was pulling all this suitcases and I was feeling tired and sweating hard. Benjamin came with a huge jacket  and he was like, ‘Akinyi you’re going to need this’. But I told him I was already sweating and I didn’t need it, he helps me with the suitcases then we walk outside and I was slapped with cold, I had never experienced winter.

Q: After how long did you get to meet Benjamin’s son and do you have a good relationship with him? 

Akinyi: It took a while while for me to meet him because when I came the US they were still on lockdown, we met after our wedding and we have a good relationship. That was something I was worried about because I didn’t know if we would get along but we are good.

Q: How was the wedding, was it big or an intimate one?

Benjamin: It was very intimate, we didn’t want to do a very large event with covid and thankfully we were able to at least virtually have Akinyi’s family. 

Akinyi: He did a big surprise for me I didn’t know. I was supposed to be given a way by the pastor we knew because my dad wasn’t there to give me a way and Benjamin did a whole surprise and both my dad and mum appeared on the screen and then when the pastor was asking who is giving this girl for her hand in marriage then my parents appeared on the screen and I started crying like a baby.

Q: You  guys love matching your outfits, did you make the kitenge outfits in Kenya or US?

Akinyi: He actually came and we took his measurements in Kenya and so all his clothes were made in Kenya and a the things that we wear that are kitenge were made in Kenya.

Q: You have a YouTube channel, why did you start it?

Benjamin: A lot of time we get messages from people who just want to know updates and what is happening in our life and what we are doing so we figured the YouTube channel would be a venue where we could go ahead and communicate what’s happening in our lives and what we are doing. Akinyi has always been into makeup and photography and I like to travel and we are hopping to share experiences and tips with our viewers.

Q: Akinyi in a Q and A session on Instagram you said you were intimate with a girl, was it sexually?

Akinyi: I have never been with a woman sexually, I was going through a phase where I wanted to know if I was straight or not and to be sure, I kissed a girl and I was like I’m straight.

Q: What your advice to couples looking for love on apps? 

Benjamin: They should make sure that they are safe first. If you’re meeting someone for the first time, have a plan, take somebody with you but have an open communication when you’re talking with that person and don’t be afraid to ask any questions, get the answers that way you know what you’re getting into.