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Two Kenyan men have signed an
agreement to "marry" the same
woman, reports say.
The woman had been having affairs
with both men for more than four years
and apparently refused to choose
between them.
The agreement sets out a rota for
Sylvester Mwendwa and Elijah Kimani
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.
Mr Mwendwa and Mr Kimani drafted the
agreement 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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