An 83-year-old man who married eight wives and lived with them in a 28-room house was laid to rest on Saturday at his Lupida village home in Nambale subcounty.
Mzee Morice Makunzo, who was nicknamed “Simba ya Shamba” owing to his general agricultural experience, had 32 children, among them Mary Osotsi, who works with KRA in Kisumu. His home has one dining hall, one kitchen and one sitting room, and every wife had her own room. Children slept according to their age groups.
Father Martin Wanyonyi of Amukura Catholic Parish, who presided over the burial mass, said the church does not encourage polygamy but acknowledged Mzee Makunzo’s wisdom of keeping the wives under one roof.
“The values of a good family are unity, love and commitment. Due to those attributes, God blessed him with 32 children and 102 grandchildren,” he said.
Wanyonyi did not spare women who encourage their female schoolgoing children to practise family planning, which he said leads to some of them becoming barren or giving birth to deformed children, and for abandoning their husbands after four decades of marriage.
Wanyonyi said men have also failed in their matrimonial responsibilities by failing to educate their children.
Busia xHealth and Sanitation Kuria officer Dr Isaac Omeri represented the county government at the burial. Bukhayo North/Walatsi MCA and ward administrators Silas Juma and Herman Emoit also attended.
