President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya has signed a marriage bill that legalizes polygamy.
The Kenyan parliament made an amendment to the bill by allowing men to marry more wives without necessarily having to consult their existing spouses. The amendment negates the traditional rule which stipulates that first wives should give approval before their husbands could take more wives.
Christian leaders in the country as well as female legislators opposed the bill and urged the President not to append his signature. While the Christian leaders opined that the bill undermines Christian principles of marriage and family, female members of the parliament argued that taking new wives would affect the spouses and the family in many ways including having an effect on the spouse’s financial position as well as that of the family.