Kenyan men agree to share 'wife'

Two Kenyan men have signed a written
contract to "marry" the same woman,
reports say.
The woman had been having affairs with both
men and refused to choose between them.
The agreement sets out a rota for the men to
stay in her house and states they will both help
raise any children she bears.
Lawyers said their "marriage" would be legally
recognised if they could prove polyandry was
part of their custom.
'Jealousy'
Sylvester Mwendwa and Elijah Kimani made the
deal after realising they had both been having
an affair with the woman in Mombasa County
for more than four years, the local Daily
Nation newspaper reports.
Community policing officer Adhalah
Abdulrahman persuaded the two men to marry
the woman after he saw them fighting over
her, it reports.
"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 says, Kenya's NTV
station reports.
"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," it adds.
Mr Mwenda said her parents had given their
blessing, while he is planning to pay the bride
price.
The woman, a widow with two children, did
not want to be named.
Kenyan family lawyer Judy Thongori told the
Daily Nation that the law does not explicitly
forbid polyandry - a woman having more than
one husband.
"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 is quoted as saying.
Polygamous marriages often take place in
Kenya, but wife-sharing is unheard of,
correspondents say.

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