The Social Demographics and the Factors that Motivate Polygamous Marriages among the Tugen Community in Baringo County, Kenya

Abstract

When the first Christian missionaries arrived in Africa in the nineteenth century, they found little to praise and much to condemn. Various forms of marriage were practised among the Tugen. For instance, polygamy was seen as the most honourable form of marriage, although monogamy was still valued. Polygamy was mainly practised in order to have more children, prestige, wealth, and as a source of labour in the family. This paper examines the socio-demographic characteristics of the Tugen and the factors that motivate the practice of polygamy among the Tugen men. The study sought to find out how the teaching of the AIC affect the polygamous converts in the light of biblical teachings. The research adopted both historical and descriptive survey methods so as to explore the issue at hand in a biblical context. Data from the field was collected through interviews and self-administered questionnaires. However, random sampling was put into use when selecting the sample respondents. This was necessary so as to minimize bias and to give each sample respondent in the strata an equal chance. Data from the field therefore, were presented in percentages and put in tables and figures. The study's main finding was that the motive behind polygamy among the Tugen was the desire to have more sons than daughters and the possibility of increasing the labour force in the family. Economic reasons account mainly to explain the institution, for wives may perform productive labour, share in the tasks of maintaining a large household and serve as visible evidence of acquired wealth. The majority of the polygamous husbands had married two wives before they became Christians, while a few had married three wives.