Despite the fact that Indians are constitutionally recognized as Kenyans, they have their unique norms that guide their religion and marital lives.
An Indian can only marry an Indian Indians are not allowed to be converted to any other religion. But there are two famous Indian men who have defied the odds in their Hindu culture to do the unthinkable.
Here are two India men who went against their culture to go the Kenyan way:
1. Shakeel Shabbir
Shakeel Shabbir Ahmed was born in 1953 in Kisumu. He is a Kenyan politician who belongs to the Orange Democratic Movement and was elected to represent the Kisumu Town East Constituency in the National Assembly in the 2007 general elections.
Before then, he served as Kisumu's Town Mayor between 2000-2002.
Shabbir is married to a Kenyan woman named Nancy Wanyonyi, a Luhya from the Bukusu sub-community. They have four kids together.
He has faced challenges such as death threats in his marriage as a result of defying Hindu norms to a marry a woman outside the Hindu family. He has advocated for intermarriage between Indians and Africans.
2. Kamlesh Pattni
Pattni was born in the year 1965 at Kibokoni near Old Town in the county of Mombasa. He was born into a Hindu family and later converted to Christianity and took the name Paul upon his baptism.
He now runs his own church, Hope International. Pattni gave his life to Christ before the Goldenberg International scandal which he was at the centre of.