Kenya to let men have many wives
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The reading
The government in Kenya has agreed on a new law on marriage. It has made many female politicians very angry. The Marriage Bill allows men to have as many wives as they want. Men will soon be able to marry other women without even telling their wife. There was a big argument between the male and female politicians. Many female lawmakers walked out of the debate in anger. The law was going to make it illegal to have more than one wife, but male lawmakers changed their mind. One male politician said the law was fair to women. He said that for the first time, women who get divorced would have 30 per cent of the family house and other things of value belonging to the couple.
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Kenyan politician Samuel Chepkong'a said the new law simply keeps alive Kenya's traditions. He told reporters: "When you marry an African woman, she must know the second one is on the way, and a third wife. This is Africa." Kenya's Nation newspaper said the law did not show Kenya as a modern country. It wrote: "This is a [backwards] move that is simply taking us back into the Dark Ages, at a time when we should be strengthening family values." Female politician Sopian Tuya said the law was unfair to the first wife because the second wife would take all the money. She also warned men about marrying in secret, saying: "We know that men are afraid of women's tongues more than anything else."
Sources:
- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26681580
- http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Editorial/Reject-law-that-will--discriminate-against-women-/-/440804/2253228/-/11p2k62z/-/index.html
- http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2014/03/uproar-as-mps-pass-bill-promoting-polygamy/
