Two Kenyan men who were rivals in love
for the same woman have agreed to
“marry” the same woman.
The unnamed woman, a widow with two
children, had been having affairs with
both men for more than four years and
had refused to choose between them
leading to the pair fighting.
The agreement sets out a rota for
Sylvester Mwendwa and Elijah Kimani to
stay in her Mombasa house and commits
them both to raise any children she
bears.

“We have agreed that from today we will
not threaten or have jealous feelings
because of our wife, who says she's not
ready to let go of any of us,” the
agreement states, according to Kenya's
NTV station.
“Each one will respect the day set aside
for him. We agree to love each other and
live peacefully. No-one has forced us to
make this agreement.”
Mr Mwendwa said he had entered into
the unusual arrangement to prevent
violent between him and his rival for the
woman’s affections.
“It could have been very dangerous if
the other man would have come to her
house and caught me. So our agreement
is good as it sets boundaries and helps
us keep peace,” he told the BBC.
The trio may run into legal problems with
their three way “marriage” which will
only be recognised if they can prove
polyandry, a woman having more than
one husband, is part of a tribal custom.
Judy Thongori, a Kenyan family lawyer
told Kenya’s Daily Nation that the law
does not explicitly forbid polyandry.
“The laws we have do not talk about it
but for such a union to be recognised in
Kenya, it has to be either under the
statutory law or as customary marriage.
The question we should ask now is
whether these people come from
communities that have been practising
polyandry,” she said.
The two men and their one wife have
run into community opposition with
locals describing their marriage as
against the Koran.
“We have never heard of something like
this in Kenya, it is uncouth, untraditional
unbiblical and against the holy books,
including the Koran. Why on earth would
a woman be shared by two men? They
should be taken to court and punished,”
said Mr Tumaini Juma, a local resident.

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