People in polygamous marriages are generally poor compared to those in monogamous relationships.
The study by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicates that poverty is 42.8 per cent among polygamous marriages compared to 27.2 per cent among those in monogamous unions nationwide.
However, polygamous families in rural areas face higher poverty levels at 44.6 per cent compared to those in towns at 43 per cent.
Men practising polygamy in rural areas experience poverty at the rate of 44.5 as opposed to their counterparts in urban areas whose poverty level is at 33.8 per cent.
Urban women in polygamous relationships are faring badly at 67.8 per cent compared to 44.8 per cent among rural women.
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There is less financial stress in monogamous unions, according to the survey, which found out that the level of poverty in rural areas is 31.8 per cent compared to 21.3 per cent among similar marriages in towns.
“The poverty rates (45.5 per cent) are worse for households headed by women in a polygamous union. Conversely, households headed by persons who have never married exhibit the least poverty rates across all domains of the analysis,” the survey revealed.
The domains sampled were rural, urban, peri-urban and national. In rural areas, poverty rate among unmarried people is 19.4 per cent while in urban areas it is 9.6 per cent compared to 10.8 per cent in peri-urban centres. Nationally, persons not married experience poverty at the rate of 12.4 per cent.
The poverty comparison in marriages comes against the backdrop of raging debate on whether polygamy should be encouraged or not. Proponents say it is fashionable to have more than one wife while opponents insist it is outdated.
Recently, Kiambu Woman Representative Gathoni wa Muchomba attracted the wrath of women when she openly supported polygamy, arguing that it promoted stability in families.
According the MP, single motherhood is tied to poverty since most mothers are unable to properly raise children due to financial constraints.
“We give birth to these children, and we do not want to own up to the problem. My advice is simple: 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,” said Gathoni.
Last year, Nyumba Kumi Initiative chairman Joseph Kaguthi urged men from central Kenya to marry more wives, explaining that nothing is unbiblical about the practice and it should be embraced in modern Kenya.
“The clergy are the only ones prohibited from practising polygamy. There is nothing evil about it. A study done has shown that 44 per cent of families in Mt Kenya region are headed by single parents. Also, a majority of inmates are from single parents. Polygamy can address this,” he said.
But Catholic bishop Peter Kihara disagrees. According to Kihara, polygamy should never be encouraged because it begets a myriad of social problems, leading to disharmony in families and the nation at large.
“I don’t support polygamy and that is why I am a minister promoting marriage to one person of the opposite sex. There is nothing good in polygamy, people keep giving excuses that it is traditionally accepted and practised,” stated the Marsabit bishop.
The KNBS survey shows that poverty rate among widows nationally stands at 36.6 per cent. In rural areas, households headed by widows experience poverty at 36.7 per cent compared to those in towns at 38.3 per cent.
