This is because the high number of couples seeking to tie the knot has become a threat to social-distancing measures.

Civil unions in the city are conducted in the attorney general's office, Sheria House, which was partially re-opened on Monday after being closed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

But Registrar-General Mary Njuya said the "overwhelming" number of visitors to the building was now a health concern.

"As a result, the office has temporarily halted all marriage services in order to develop a clear roadmap on reopening in an organised manner as guided by the Ministry of Health," she said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ms Njuya promised services would resume as soon as it was practically possible.

Kenya recognises civil unions, religious marriages and traditional customary unions as legitimate ways of getting married.

The government has banned travel in and out of Nairobi, as well as three counties in the coastal region, in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus.