Legal challenge likely after Kenyan president signs polygamy law

A law allowing men in Kenya to marry as many women as they want was signed into law by President Uhuru Kenyatta, despite criticism from women’s groups.

A statement from the presidency confirmed the bill, which it said “consolidates various laws relating to marriage”, had been signed into law.

The bill, which amended existing legislation, was passed by parliament last month to formalise traditional practice regarding marrying more than one person.

“Marriage is the voluntary union of a man and a woman, whether in a monogamous or polygamous union,” the presidential statement added.

The initial bill had given a wife the right to veto the husband’s choice, but male MPs overcame party divisions to push through a text that dropped this clause.

When the bill was passed last month, female members of parliament stormed out of the session in fury after a heated debate.

The National Council of Churches in Kenya, which groups more than 40 churches and Christian organisations from across the east African nation, has also spoken out against the bill.

The national Federation of Women Lawyers has also said it would mount a legal challenge against the law.

As in many parts of Africa, Polygamy is common among traditional communities in Kenya, as well as in the country’s Muslim community, which accounts for up to a fifth of the population.

Women are not allowed to marry more than one man.