MP Gathoni Wamuchomba asks rich men to marry many wives

Kiambu Woman Rep Gathoni Wamuchomba has asked able men from Kikuyu community to consider marrying several wives. She has said that bringing up children, in the absence of their fathers, has led to serious social problems among the youth.

She said men, who sire children with different women should consider taking them as their additional wives, saying being in a polygamous marriage is not a crime but a way of culture.

Ms Wamuchomba said most of the youth in the community, who are indulging in alcohol and those who become street children, are in those situations because they lack good upbringing, adding that most street children in the city are from the community.

FIVE WIVES

“We give birth to these children, and we do not want to own up to them. If you are a man from the Kikuyu community, and you can sustain five wives, have them and if you are a man and you are in a position to bring up (many children), do it,” she said.

According to her, if revisiting polygamy will be the solution, it should be explored.

Ms Wamuchomba spoke at Violence Recovery Centre at Wangunyu in Karura, Kiambaa sub county, where she launched a programme to rehabilitate alcoholic addicts. They are to undergo a three-month programme in rehabilitation centres.

PREDICAMENTS

She said most young people who showed up in the programme, were only speaking about their mothers, an indication that their fathers abandoned them, adding that most of their predicaments are associated with lack of parenthood.

“We need to be honest, these children who are raised by single mothers, where are their fathers? And why do we want to pretend that this is not a problem. As much as we are talking about our church and culture, we need to go back to the drawing board to discuss this issue and come up with a solution,” she said.