An agreement has been reached by two men to marry one woman who have been dating the men secretly for over four years now.
Sylvester Mwendwa and Elijah Kimani signed the agreement after the lady refused to choose between the two, claiming she loves them equally. They would stay in her house on a rotational basis and will both help raise any children she bears, according to the agreement.
Police Officer Abdallah Abdulrahman was said to have persuaded the two men to marry the woman after he saw them fighting over her in Mombasa County, Kenya.
“I talked to both of them and they claim they love her equally and cannot live without her. I asked the woman to choose but she refused, saying ‘I cannot lose either of them, I love them both’”, Abdulrahman was quoted by the Daily Nation.
Mwendwa openly told the BBC African Service that he loved the woman and said the contract would “set boundaries” and “keep the peace between him and Mr. Kimani.
“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 said.
But Lawyers in the country say the marriage would only be recognized if the men could prove that polyandry was or is part of their custom. (Polyandry is a type of marriage why by a woman marries more than one husband).
Detail of the agreement the local Daily Nation Newspaper published has it that: “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,”.
“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,” the statement agreement concluded.
The woman, with two kids is said to have lost her husband some years back and says she does not want to be named in the media.
Meanwhile, People in the country have reacted with shock to the marriage, arguing that it is not acceptable in terms of their culture and religion.
“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,” One Mr. Tumaini Juma told the Daily Nation Newspaper.
NationalTurk Africa News