Mombasa woman representative Asha Hussein asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to lead by example by marrying a second wife after signing into law the marriage bill.
Speaking in April this year during the Affirmative Action workshop held in Mombasa, Asha requested the President to marry a second wife and take her to State House for the official introduction to the nation and her senior, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.
She was voicing her mixed stand on the 2014 bill. She stated that despite the fact that legal polygamy is good, sections of women hate it.
She said that the country should not impose such laws on women and seemed to partially oppose the law despite the fact that her religion, Islam, allows polygamy.
Kiambu County Woman Representative Gathoni Wamuchomba, who encouraged Kikuyu men to marry as many wives as they can afford also weighed in this debate.
She also encouraged those with economic ability to raise many children. Kikuyu elders supported Wamuchomba’s sentiments.
The male dominance in parliament was one of the factors the bill sailed through without serious opposition. This infuriated female MPs who felt betrayed by their male counterparts. They backed what most patriarchal cultures support, polygamy.
Listen to an audio here.