Sep 29, 2014 soon after polygamy was legalized in kenya, msurvey carried out a mobile survey to establish the sentiments around the issue do the people support it or not. The study is guided by competing theses on the interconnectedness between polygamy and child survival. Some societies have introduced a gradual reduction. This form of marriage a where a man has more than one wife. President uhuru kenyatta signs kenya polygamy law bbc news. These types of marriages have been more present in the whole history of africa like no other continent in the world. In this act, unless the context otherwise requires polygamy means the state or practice of a man having more than one wifesimultaneously. Polygamy is the biggest contributor to poverty as most men who get into it cannot afford it and it is the women and children who suffer most, said teresa omondiadeitan, executive director of the federation of women lawyers in kenya. Polygamy islamic and customary marriages are presumed to be polygamous or potentially polygamous sec 63. Reflections on a missiological and theological problem by stefan hoschele since polygamy was a practice found in almost all african soci eties when they first met chris tianity, it has been a matter of much theological and missiologi cal discussion see for example, the classic by parrinder, 1950. Polygamy is common among traditional communities in. The trend over the past century has been toward limiting polygamy.
In this act, unless the context otherwise requirespolygamy means the state or practice of a man having more than one wifesimultaneously. May 01, 2014 polygamy already is a common fixture among many cultures in kenya and in some other african countries. Polygamy among the tanzanian maasai and the seventhday adventist church. Masculine justification of polygamy among the bukusu of bungoma. Maillu, our kind of polygamy, nairobi, heinemann kenya. Introduction this article documents and discusses recent developments in english law1 towards polygamy. Polygamy in nigeria and kenya adrian 1973 the merits, of polygamy are of no parallel in the lives of africans. Polygamy has been cited as a possible contributor to africas low savings rates tertilt, 2005, widespread incidence of hiv brahmbhatt et al. Firstly, it is noteworthy that whereas the new testament is silent, lukewarm and uncertain about the issue of polygamy in the church, the old testament. The polygamy bill dividing kenyas christians christianity. Clearly, polygamy must be meaningful, or it would not be controversial. In march 2014, kenya s parliament passed a bill allowing men to marry multiple wives. Cohabitation, marriage and remarriage patterns in africa.
Apr 24, 2005 polygamy was and is practiced in islamic cultures under the authority of sdrah 4. Polygamy, which is defined as the practice of having more than one spouse, is a common, and widespread, socially as well as culturally accepted phenomenon in many african countries 1,2. Pdf polygamy among the tanzanian maasai and the seventhday. Born into a polygamous family 43 years ago, the mp is. Sep 11, 2014 in 1988, the lambeth conference of the anglican communion decided to admit polygamists under certain circumstances, in response to pressure from bishops in kenya and uganda. Apr 06, 2018 anthropology and ethnology open access journal polygyny in south africa anthropol ethnol open acc j. Factors on polygamy 295 the organization of the remaining part of the paper is as follows.
The study was concerned with the biblical understanding of polygamy. Joint report on article 16, muslim family law and muslim womens rights in kenya 68th cedaw session geneva, switzerland october 2017 15 jalan limau purut. Translations in context of polygamie in germanenglish from reverso context. A person in a polygamous marriage shall not contract another.
Kenway publications, 1989, 186 n and hinchcliffe, op cit, 278 who notes the rarity of polygamy among ismaili khojas in africa, and points to a holy firman issued by the aga khan in 1962, contained within part 7 of the constitution, that forbade the practice. Polygamie translation into english examples german. It refers to marriage in which the spouse of either sex has more than one mate at the same time and form a family. Regarding the statement whether polygamy is acceptable or not, majority of respondents 80% reported that they like to support it whereas only few respondents 20% are not agreed with the same statement. President kenyatta signed the polygamy measure into law tuesday, formally. Polygamous marital structure and child survivorship in. Kenyas new polygamy law bad for families, christian. Polygamy is common among rural communities in kenya, as well as among the countrys muslim community. Firstly, it is noteworthy that whereas the new testament is silent, lukewarm and uncertain about the issue of polygamy in the church, the old testament wholly supports it.
Introduction the house of bishops and the provincial standing committee of the synod of the church of the province of kenya requested the writer to recommend ways in which the church might deal with pastoral problems arising from polygamous marriages for the synod to consider. Media, art, film, and literature are also important strategies. The persistence or decline of polygamy is frequently used as a proxy of social change in african society, reinforced by the fact that the prevalence of formal polygamy is generally lower in urban than rural areas dodoo 1998. Pdf polygamy the marriage of one man to several women has been. They shall enact appropriate national legislative measures to guarantee that monogamy is encouraged as the preferred form of marriage and that the rights of women in marriage and family, including in polygamous marital relationships are promoted and protected. L mwambene per pelj 2017 20 2 1 introduction polygyny is a traditional practice whereby only a man is allowed to marry more than one spouse. Kenyas new polygamy law bad for families, christian leaders. The selection of our samples from dhs data and a description of the statistical method are presented in section iii. Polygyny, africa, kenya, south africa, mozambique, abolish. Sometimes they are evicted after the new wife arrives and tensions arise. Masculine justification of polygamy among the bukusu of. Polygamy is a form of marriage less satisfactory than monogamy and one which cannot do justice to the full spirit of christian marriage.
The bill, the group said, is long overdue because polygamous unions were previously not. Saharan africa have the possibility of becoming polygamous wives, and are. May 01, 2014 africa has a socalled polygamy belt that stretches from senegal to tanzania. Introduction the house of bishops and the provincial standing com mittee of the synod of the church of the province of kenya requested the writer to recommend ways in which the church might deal with pastoral problems arising from polygamous marriages for the synod to consider. It can be said that polygamy is not a new issue in kenya. Apr 04, 2014 nairobi, kenya kenyan men have practiced polygamy, or plural marriage, as far back as they can remember. In march 2014, kenyas parliament passed a bill allowing men to.
How kenyans are reacting to legalised polygamy bbc news. In kenya s countryside david tells us about his polygamy marriage with his two wives and their six children. Second, greater female involvement in agriculture reduces. Strictly speaking, polygamy, meaning plural marriage, includes polyandry more than one husband, as well has polygyny more than one wife. Before discussing whether it is an appropriate element of islamic society in modern times, however, it is important to address the question of why we care. I use dhs data to test nine hypotheses about its prevalence and decline. How polygamy and polyandry practices keep africa away from. In certain circumstances individual christians can still put up with it, as they put up with slavery, dictatorial government and much else. Kenya is predominantly christian, with muslims making up about 11 percent of its. Kenyas president uhuru kenyatta has signed into law a controversial marriage bill legalising polygamy.
In africa, as already mentioned above, polygamy is a social practice used to ensure the continued status and survival of widows and orphans within an established family structure. Dec 08, 2019 how polygamy and polyandry practices keep africa away from achieving sdg 5 in south africa, while the former president jacob zuma has four wives, tanzanias head of state john magufuli encourages polygamy saying 10 million more women than men in his country and told his countrymen to marry two or more wives to reduce the number of single women. The proposed 2014 polygamy bill had initially given a wife the right to veto the husbands marriage to a new bride, but male members of parliament overcame political divisions to push through a text that dropped this clause. A new law that went into effect in kenya this week makes it legal for a man to marry as many women as he wants. This article does not attempt to address the issue of concubinage that is familiar to several afroasian legal systems. Polygamy, specifically, in my thesis, the marriage of one man to two or more women, is a topic of interest in todays popular culture with television programs featuring the marriage practice, such as the reality series sister wives and polygamy u. Kenya s president, uhuru kenyatta, has signed into law, a marriage bill which legalises polygamy and criminalises homosexuality in that country. Jun 12, 2017 polygamy was guaranteed among the abagusii family. Its meaning and occurrence in the world the word polygamy comes from a greek word. This has this has rekindled the debate on the morality of polygamy in the contemporary society. Anthropologist ellen lewin 2006 2004 discussed the importance of legalizing same sex marriage for gay and lesbian couples, which, she argued, alleviates discrimination, allows these couples to claim a particular identity, and is a marker of legitimacy. Polygamy of either sort is far less common than it used to be, and is now concentrated in africa, the middle east, india, thailand, and indonesia. Kenya from the region with a moderate level east africa.
A view of asian cultures in kenya, rev edn nairobi. In fact, the country has produced ancentus akuku ogwela, who married wives, and. Demographic and health surveys in ghana 1988, senegal 1986, kenya 1989, and zimbabwe 198889 showed that the proportion of women in a 3. On march 2014 kenyas parliament passed a bill allowing men to marry multiple wives. Polygamy is common among traditional communities in kenya, as well as among the countrys muslim community. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. The new law that went into effect in kenya this week makes it legal for a man to marry as many women as he wants. Polygamy breeds poverty for kenyan women and children. As it were, big numbers of all other communities in kenya are practising polygamy while the kikuyu are stuck with monogamy, added kiago. Attitudes to polygamy in english law international. The research study was among the wanga subtribe found in kakamega county and one of the sixteen luhya sub tribes found in western kenya. The polygamy has existed in all over the african continent thanks to the fact that it represents an aspect of their culture and religion. The persistence of polygamy and the rise of new forms of polygamy means that demographic data.
Factors on polygamy in subsaharan africa institute of developing. It sought to find out whether or not the practice of polygamy is contrary to biblical teachings. Pdf polygamy among the tanzanian maasai and the seventh. Chairperson is married to two, mwaikibaki of kenya to.
The bookseller of kabul memoir described the pain of polygamy in an afghanistan household, the film the day i will never forget examines the practice of female genital mutilation in kenya, and kandahar documented in film the horror of the taliban. The minister shall, by order published in the gazette, divide kenya into marriage districts, for the purposes of this act, and may, by like order, alter districts either by alteration of boundaries or by union or subdivision of districts, or by the formation of new districts. Furthermore, polygamy has been associated with mental illness among women and children 16, 17, with women in polygamous families having more mental. Polygamous marital structure and child survivorship in ghana. First, historical inequality better predicts polygamy today than current inequality. Kenya finally legalises polygamy, criminalises homosexuality. May 01, 2014 under the new law there are five types of marriages in kenya. Christian, islamic, hindu, monogamous and polygamous. The study also sought to find out the effects of polygamy as they relate to the individuals perception in reference to the sda policy and practice. These findings are discussed in relation to the main theoretical paradigms. Kenyan housewife wanjiru, 80, during an interview about her polygamous marriage at the womens charity daughters of mumbi resource centre in kiambu county in kenya on july 3, 2018.
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