Kenya legalises polygamy without wife's consent

[Redfairen]

Source: Agence France Presse

Kenya's parliament has passed a bill allowing men to marry as many women as they want, prompting a furious backlash from female lawmakers who stormed out, reports said Friday.

The bill, which amended existing marriage legislation, was passed late on Thursday to formalise customary law about marrying more than one person.

The proposed bill had initially given a wife the right to veto the husband's choice, but male members of parliament overcame party divisions to push through a text that dropped this clause.

"When you marry an African woman, she must know the second one is on the way, and a third wife... this is Africa," MP Junet Mohammed told the house, according to Nairobi's Capital FM.


Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ja6eMjA4jo38IKSWAz5vK9pgknkQ?docId=09ba94c3-b5ed-4602-b341-5f1e01342dd6

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. This is sickening! This patriarchal society is regressive. These males need to be SHAMED

I cannot believe this was done.

[Jesus Malverde]

31. Why can't a man have more than one wife?

I'm not sure I get the objection. I manages multiple concurrent relationships and I'm curious to what the problem is with people having multiple partners married or otherwise.

[CreekDog]

33. well your post explains most of your other posts

[Jesus Malverde]

34. Ok

and....Consenting adults are just that.

Whats wrong with a someone being involved in more than one relationship at once

People have mistresses, affairs, open, concurrent relationships and some people even cruise strangers... whats the problem? Did I fail your purity test?

[Niceguy1]

2. the wife should have veto power

As it is important that they get along..... the drama that develops if they dont get can run a man down.

[CreekDog]

8. you forgot the :sarcasm: tag

better have.

[Niceguy1]

17. some asian cultures

Still practice it here in the US.. it provides for some interesting family dynamics.

[KamaAina]

19. So do some white people

those fundamentalist Mormons on the Utah-Arizona line.

[Gormy Cuss]

10. Chattel don't get to vote. n/t

[ChairmanAgnostic]

13. Exactly.

I wonder. Do the Kochs have big investments in Kenya? That would explain a heck of a lot.

[ancianita]

23. Good point.

[LiberalFighter]

3. Do those men want to take the risk of going to sleep?

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Kenya is a nation with 82.5% Christians. This is a Christian law.

And folks thought it was 'just the gays'.....

[LanternWaste]

11. As a Roman may have said, 'post hoc ergo prompter hoc...'

As a Roman may have said, 'post hoc ergo prompter hoc...'

[Ratty]

14. Thanks. I had not thought that the case.

I thought it must be a largely Muslim country. That's what I get for jumping to conclusions.

[seveneyes]

18. This case appears to be Muslim

Parliamentary majority leader Aden Duale, a Muslim, said that men marrying more than one woman was part of the Islamic faith, but also highlighted Biblical stories to justify Christians not asking their wife before taking another.

"I want my Christian brothers to read the Old Testament -- King David and King Solomon never consulted anybody to marry a second wife," Duale told the house.

Women are not allowed to marry more than one man in Kenya.

[KamaAina]

20. But even in traditional Islam, a man is only allowed four wives

so why no limit in Kenya?

[MADem]

24. Not cast in stone, that.

Four is a number that the "average man" can afford. A very wealthy feller can conceivably afford many more. Ibn Saud, the first ruler of what we know as Saudi Arabia, had close to two dozen wives (maybe more).

There's also the whole "concubine" system, and the "temporary marriage" system (which is, basically, formalized, contracted prostitution, if you ask me). In a temporary marriage, the man contracts with the woman for a cash payment(s) for her to act in a 'spousal capacity' for a period of time, weeks, a few months, even a year-- and when the time is up, the contract is over.

[avebury]

28. But but but what happened to the Christian

notion that marriage is supposed to be between one man and one woman?

[catbyte]

5. Who will be the first bagger to introduce this in Congress?

[CanonRay]

6. I think maybe the whole world is going religious crazy

The anti-gay bills in Uganda and Russia, this crap, all the anti-abortion laws in our own country. The Taliban are taking over.

[FiveGoodMen]

15. Sure makes you wonder what triggered it all.

[struggle4progress]

7. ... "Any time a man comes home with a woman, that would be assumed to be a second or third wife ...

Under customary law, women or wives you have married do not need to be told when you're coming home with a second or third wife. Any lady you bring home is your wife" ...

Kenya's parliament passes bill allowing polygamy
Bill that permits men to marry more than one person without wife's consent prompts furious backlash
Agence France-Presse in Nairobi
Friday 21 March 2014 10.37 EDT

[cosmicone]

9. Oooh lala .. How much is a plane ticket to Kenya?

Just kidding

One can not dare to fall asleep in the house of a hurt and angry woman ... legal or not. This law is going to shame Kenya and will be reversed. No country likes to be the butt of jokes.

[cvoogt]

12. I find it presumptuous

of Kenyan legislators to speak for all of Africa. They may be a leading nation, but laws like this will see to it that they become a laughing stock. Africa is progressing in spite of these lawmakers' efforts.

[CFLDem]

16. Hmmmm

[Skittles]

21. can the women have as many husbands as they want?

not that they'd ever want more than one

[Nika]

27. I doubt the men would vote for polyandry, with is what multiple hubbies is called.

This is a bad law.

[ancianita]

22. It's more patriarchal frenzy. Call it religion, culture, whatever, but it's not TIA. Fuck Kenya.

Rights aren't "given." That's why they're "rights." Women in Africa will decide their own rights.

They can institutionalize domination by any other name and it's still men not wanting to limit their promiscuity and vicious disloyalty, only women's. After all, someone's got to be the responsible adult and raise the offspring! And someone's got to go out and procure the wealth!

[Kild the Radio Star]

25. You sure it isn't Kansas?

Wouldn't surprise me, sad to say.

[NaturalHigh]

26. I've always wondered why any man would want more than one wife.

The whole Big Love thing just seems too stressful to me.

[dembotoz]

29. now take my wife............................................................................please

always a great line

[hughee99]

30. If two consenting adults want to get married, why is it anyone else's business?

Wait, I guess now isn't the time for that.

[Red Mountain]

32. Two?

It might be the third, forth, fifth, etc adults who aren't giving consent that cause the problem.

[hunter]

35. One of my ancestors was a mail order bride to Salt Lake City.

She didn't like sharing a husband so she ran off with a U.S. government surveyor.

My family is a matriarchy on all sides, including my generation. Our men marry strong women and I sometimes wonder how long it's been that way.

Our U.S. society is not really so far away from Kenya's. The patriarchy and subordination of women is still strong here in the U.S.A. including involuntary polygamy in some places, legally sanctioned or not.