Dowry Budget That Has Kenyan Men Up in Arms

A dowry budget plan shared on Facebook went viral, with thousands of Kenyan men taking their time to air their views on a topic that has proven controversial over the years.

Most of the men contributing to the discourse noted that getting a girl to agree to marry you had now turned the easy part, with dowry negotiations, popularly known as ruracio, held in the same regard as multi-million shillings business deals.

The budget which totalled at Ksh 824,000 caused a massive uproar with the majority of Kenyans stating that it was over the top.

Others simply made a joke out of the entire debacle, adding that the Kenyan boychild needed not just prayers but for God himself to show up.

Kenya's bachelors were reportedly set to see out their long lives in solitude, with only the occasional cup of tea to keep them warm based on the budget.

"If this is the cost of ruracio then how will we manage to pay the debt owed to Chinese," Peter Wanjiru posted.

The irate group of men divulged that the reason most of them chose to take the come-we-stay option thereby avoiding interactions with their in-laws, was due to such demands.

"Dmilimo Chris, Mark Erick, Naomi Kawira Munene you ask me why am not married, this is the answer, my friends," Eric Mwangi posted.

Some families were accused of negotiating for a bride price so high that it eventually either forced the man to walk away for good, elope with their daughter or worse, vent their frustrations on her, years down the line.

One user narrated the tale of a lady who confessed to having stayed in an abusive relationship in which her husband kept referring to his cows every time he hit her.

She allegedly felt that she had nowhere to run to, as her parents were not in a position to refund the exorbitant dowry they had charged for her hand.

However, some ladies were quick to point out that the figure was actually on the lower end, and more money needed to be coughed up for their hand in marriage.

"Goodness who is this giving out their daughter for free, this is too little," Zighe Fanniss posted.

Here are a few facebook screenshots from the contentious ruracio budget post: