Polygamy persists across Africa, to activists’ dismay

polygamy declared unconstitutional in Uganda, where it is permissible for Muslims and those in customary marriages sealed with the traditional payment of bride price but not for those seeking Christian or civil unions.

Neighbouring Kenya legalised polygamous unions for men in 2014 with overwhelming support from male lawmakers, as the majority leader argued that the biblical David and Solomon “never consulted anybody” when choosing multiple partners.

In South Africa, where former president Jacob Zuma has four wives, polygamy has long been legal under customary arrangements.

And Tanzanian President John Magufuli actively encourages polygamy, citing the 10 million more women than men in his country. In February he told men to marry “two or more wives” to reduce the number of single women.

Polygamy is still rampant in many countries in the Horn of Africa and East Africa even as the practice loses popularity in Muslim-majority communities of North Africa, said Hala al-Karib, a Sudanese activist who runs the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, a network of civil society groups.

“Polygamy is contributing to massive chaos,” she said. “It really victimises children and their mothers.” And it can fuel conflict: In war-ravaged South Sudan, where polygamy is commonly practiced, the raiding of cattle to pay bride prices can inflame ethnic tensions.

Women’s rights activists say the entrenched patriarchy that encourages practices such as polygamy is a major reason why the world’s poorest continent now accounts for most of the growth in the global population.

“Demand for children is higher on average in subSaharan Africa than in any other region,” with the fertility rate around 5.1 births per woman, a United Nations report released this month says.

Polygamy’s issues are often dramatised by Nollywood, Nigeria’s booming film industry that is popular across the continent, with lurid tales of witchcraft and murder.

In real life, Ugandan newspapers often report tales of co-wives attacking each other, sometimes with acid or other chemicals that leave the victim’s face horribly burned. Some co-wives reportedly compete to have as many children as possible in hopes of winning the favour of the man’s family, especially if there is substantial land to be inherited.

The Ugandan organisation whose petition against polygamy was rejected, MIFUMI, says it plans to file a new challenge on the grounds that the practice undermines women’s dignity. Polygamy is cited in half of the 2 000 to 3 000 cases of domestic violence handled by the organisation each year, said Patrick Ndira, its deputy executive director. “We think that polygamy is the factor that underscores discrimination between men and women,” Ndira said. “The women don’t have any recourse if a man decides to become polygamous.”

Yusuf Nsibambi with the Uganda Muslim Lawyers Association said the group would oppose any legal challenge to polygamy by asserting religious rights as