Why poor men should be banned from being polygamous

By Agnes Sikuku | 7yrs ago | 2 min read

If any man is polygamous and poor, he should be arrested and his wives dispatched to their parents. It should be a crime against marriage to be poor and polygamous.

Poverty and polygamy are like water and oil. The two can't and will never mix. If a man should be polygamous, then he should have the means. It's unfair that two, three or more women can live in abject poverty with one man.

We all saw how Akuku danger was stinking rich. He had large trucks of land which basically meant that none of his family members died of hunger or children became beggars on streets. He even gave out land to build a church and school. This ensured that his many children did not lack the basic needs.

President Zuma and King Mswati are perfect examples of how polygamy goes hand in hand with the riches. Their many wives go for shopping in Paris on chartered planes and they also live in mansions.

With the above examples, tell me why poor men should be allowed to have many wives? Why should a man who cannot feed himself take many wives? Why should a woman leave an eligible bachelor then go and fend for herself in a polygamous man's house?

Many will say that it's because of love and "marriage ni kuvumilia". Tell that to the birds. Love has nothing to do with this. A man should have many wives if he has resources; by that I mean he should be able to buy a 5 hectares plus land for his new wife and erect a mansion within the blink of an eye.

He should be able to pay dowry without playing cat and mouse with in-laws. Need I mention that he should also give handouts to his in-laws at any given time like our stealing politicians during campaigns?

By allowing poor men to be polygamous, we are lowering the living standards of their many children. They will take children to public schools where teachers are not motivated and perpetually tired. They will also go to public hospitals, use public transport and wear 'mitumba' clothes year in year out.

It's in the best interest of everybody in society that poor men with an insatiable appetite for women be banned from being polygamous.