Mount Kenya elders on Wednesday, October 2, pronounced themselves on what they described as a worrying trend of young men being required to part with outrageous amounts of money in dowries payments.
The supreme council of Meru elders (Njuri Ncheke) deliberated on a plan to regulate the payment of dowries in the community.
The elders announced a crackdown on the seemingly offending practice during a meeting with Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi where they discussed the implementation of county policy on sexual and gender-based violence.
The Standard reported that the elders were stressed after seeing Meru women demand as much as Ksh1 million after young men approached them for a hand in marriage.
“Dowry should never be the basis to prevent young men and women from getting lifetime partners," Josephat Murangiri, Njuri Ncheke’s Secretary-General in charge of operations lamented.
He added that they would come up with a method to infiltrate dowry payments to ensure they are aligned to modern criteria.
"For example, if a family of the bride has demanded that their girl is worth 10 cows, we will stipulate how much one cow is worth rather than leave that interpretation to the parties in the marriage,” Murangiri declared.
He further warned Meru residents against sexual and gender-based violence.
"Those that choose to engage in such negotiations will not have the blessings of the Njuri Ncheke," the spokesperson warned.
