How Elections Strain mixed marriages

Sex & Relationships
1

http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/3.21.24/orb/4/img/bbc-blocks-dark.png
[SIZE=5]Accessibility links[/SIZE]
[ul]
[li]Skip to content[/li][li]Accessibility Help[/li][/ul]
Sign in
[SIZE=5]BBC navigation[/SIZE]
[ul]
[li]Menu[/li][/ul]
Search

[SIZE=5]News navigation[/SIZE]

[SIZE=6]How Kenya election puts strain on ethnically mixed couples[/SIZE]
https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/6AA1/production/_97179272_f5b718f0-5de0-43a5-b02f-025497313038.jpgImage copyrightEPA

Ethnicity plays a big part in Kenya’s elections, with many people voting along communal lines, and occasional outbreaks of political violence in which people are targeted according to their ethnic background. This can make life difficult for mixed ethnicity couples, as the BBC’s Dickens Olewe in Nairobi found ahead of next week’s election.

“Mommy, do you hate Raila or Uhuru?”

Naomi Wangui and Malaki Samson’s young daughter shocked them recently by choosing this way to ask how they felt about the presidential candidates.

The question stunned Naomi and, even though she tried to explain to her daughter how political competition works, she was taken aback by her characterisation.

“Hate is a strong word, even for a six-year old. I think it’s the perception she has picked from the TV stations who project political competition as a zero sum game, them versus us.”

Malaki is a Luhya, a community that chiefly supports the opposition, while Naomi is from the Kikuyu community of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is seeking re-election.

Mr Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is a Luo, have harnessed support from several ethnic communities and it has become part of Kenyan political culture to presume that people from allied ethnic groups automatically back them.

These perceptions complicate the lives of mixed ethnicity couples.

Malaki and Naomi live in Kinoo in the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, an area that is dominated by the Kikuyu community.

Image captionMalaki Samson’s family worry about his safety in a Kikuyu-dominated area
This set-up worries Malaki’s family and they are concerned about his safety during the election.

“His brother called to see if he is planning to move during the election,” Naomi says.

But Malaki has however no plans to relocate.

“We will cast our votes and come back home. We feel safe here,” he says.

" I don’t think the election will be violent as everyone is making it out to be."

[SIZE=5]Jitters again[/SIZE]
Manuel Mikewa and his wife Elizabeth Njeri have different and more elaborate plans for election day.

“We will vote and then relocate with our two children to my mother’s house in Kileleshwa [a middle-class estate in Nairobi].”

Manuel Mikewa is a Luo and his wife is Kikuyu, and they live in Muthiga, another area where Kikuyus are dominant.

Image captionManuel Mikewa and his family are planning to stay with his mother and other relatives
Since post-election violence in 2007-08 in which more than 1,500 Kenyans were killed and an estimated 600,000 displaced, people have tended to be jittery around election time - and it’s no different this year.

The last election passed without any major disruptive incident but there seems to be palpable fear and anxiety heading to this year’s election, despite the government’s reassurance on security and top politicians calling for peace.

“I just don’t want to be here, especially with my children. I just want to feel safe,” Manuel says and he has reasons to be worried.

More on Kenya’s elections:

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/720x405/p05bvkyp.jpg
Media captionKenya Election 2017: What you need to know
[ul]
[li]Kenyatta: the digital president[/li][li]Odinga - love him or loathe him[/li][li]First time voters[/li][li]Decoding the elections[/li][li]Full elections coverage[/li][/ul]
His aunt who is married to a Kikuyu man lives in Kibera, Kenya’s biggest slum, which has been named as a potential hotspot.

In 2013, his uncle slept in a bar in Kibera that he owns for fear that his family’s house would be attacked because of his perceived ethnic-political affiliation in an area dominated by the Luo community.

“My aunt and her family have started feeling that their neighbours, some whom they have known for a long time, are showing enmity towards them, so they are planning to be away from the area during the election,” Manuel says.

“Just like in 2013, she will be moving to my mum’s house with my cousins. She has enough space to accommodate us and it’s good that way, because we will all feel safe.”

Manuel says he plans to stay with his mother for at least a week after the election, “then we will assess when to go back”.

[SIZE=5]Silent migration[/SIZE]
His plans are not unique. There’s a silent migration from the city taking place, with people travelling to areas where their ethnic community is dominant.

“I think we will be safe in Kileleshwa because it is far removed from the informal settlement areas, like where my aunt lives, where there is high likelihood of violence to occur.”

At the moment, Manuel says, the heightened political environment has “disrupted his work”, but he adds that he is looking forward to vote.

“As a couple we have been open with each other and we have discussed the candidates we will vote for.”

Image captionPeople are already heading out of Nairobi
Another couple, George Obiero, a Luo, and Millicent Wanjiru, a Kikuyu, have been married for eight years and have two children. They say the election period is the most challenging part of their relationship.

“This is the most challenging time for mixed ethnicity couples because we suddenly find that our relationships are exposed to the negative effects of ethnic political competition,” George says.

“There are couples who have separated because they couldn’t handle the strain.”

Millicent says that she has to deal with the fact that she “lives in an area where I feel safe but I can’t say the same for my husband”.

The couple say they have started thinking of contingency plans to move the family somewhere they will feel safe, but it has not been an easy topic to discuss.

“We live in an area where my community is a minority so I’m the one likely to be targeted by violence because of my ethnicity. Some people see me as supporting the opposition, which is not necessarily the case,” George says.

"Reason would suggest that I move to a place where I will feel safe but I can’t leave my family, I just can’t.

“It’s easy for couples who come from the same community to make quick decisions on what to do in these circumstances, for us it’s a bit tricky.”

Image captionElection time is “challenging” for couples from different ethnic backgrounds, says George Obiero pictured his wife Millicent Wanjiru
The couples say they feel that the rhetoric in this year’s election has been ratcheted up, more than any past election, by an active social media community.

“There’s a lot of hate there. People say very hurtful things, and these are people you know, some you call friends,” Millicent says.

But she says they cannot afford to despair. Instead they try to continue showing and preaching tolerance - especially to their children.

“We are sensitising them to be part of a global community and not be confined to an ethnic cocoon that Kenyan politics forces us into every five years,” Millicent says.

“I’m hopeful because many in our generation are marrying from other cultures and I look forward to a less divisive future.”

The Malakis and Obieros live in the same apartment block, which they say is home to “an incredibly diverse group of Kenyans”.

The neighbours are planning a get-together party on election day “to light a bonfire to celebrate our diversity,” Samson Malaki says.

[SIZE=5]Related Topics[/SIZE]
[ul]
[li]Kenya[/li][li]Kenya general election 2017[/li][/ul]

[SIZE=5]Share this story About sharing[/SIZE]
[ul]
[li]Email[/li][li]Facebook[/li][li]Messenger[/li][li]Twitter[/li][li]Pinterest[/li][li]WhatsApp[/li][li]LinkedIn[/li][/ul]
[SIZE=5]More on this story[/SIZE]
[ul]
[li]Kenya election: Views of first-time voters[/li]2 August 2017
[li]Eight things about the Kenyan elections[/li]29 July 2017
[li]Uhuru Kenyatta: Kenya’s ‘digital president’[/li]4 August 2017
[li]Raila Odinga - the man Kenyans either love or loathe[/li]4 August 2017
[li]Kenya’s election: Your questions answered[/li]26 June 2017
[li]Kenya country profile[/li]8 August 2017
[/ul]

More Videos from the BBC
[ul]
[li][/li]http://images.outbrain.com/Imaginarium/api/uuid/93b39be33e4315bc0a494ae386e870a55cafbf5399c8ba5e520a09642670bd74/200/112/1.0/webpThe artist turning women’s stretch marks into art
[li][/li]http://images.outbrain.com/Imaginarium/api/uuid/31a7e505b847b723c92501474a016f0355443d3f08d521704a23be1e7d51b70c/200/112/1.0/webpRome Airport luggage thefts caught on CCTV
[li][/li]http://images.outbrain.com/Imaginarium/api/uuid/cabe5d8df5ebab868a1dca2f1a4599882a1864dc704ab91efec03852a70e5f29/200/112/1.0/webpSelf-taught animator makes World War One film at home
[/ul]
[ul]
[li][/li]http://images.outbrain.com/Imaginarium/api/uuid/e08ff4342479c9df7545a45f072d0019e0be190e47640f527c5f5b8227ca5131/200/112/1.0/webpDenmark’s prince consort won’t be buried with Queen
[li][/li]http://images.outbrain.com/Imaginarium/api/uuid/94dcf596cad3475463b9f1c61926e32df3092a224a509f9251ab9c6ef8720c15/200/112/1.0/webpGrenfell resident: Stop the racist abuse
[li][/li]http://images.outbrain.com/Imaginarium/api/uuid/bba32890cd091d469cc9dbb42642a5af51d7c3cce9a183457dad13fd0bcdf75a/200/112/1.0/webpPutney Bridge: CCTV of jogger ‘pushing’ woman in front of bus
[/ul]
Recommended by Outbrain

Elsewhere on BBC
[ul]
[li][/li]http://images.outbrain.com/v1/cUNjN0NqMXNiOG8xWHBtYVNtV2NMZz09/eyJpdSI6IjhmOGViOWYwZTI4ZTgwMTlmZDdhMGMwY2QwMGE2MzY3ZmZkODQ2ODE2MWUwOWY1NDg5MDE2MDFlNjk4MTJhYWMiLCJ3IjozMTYsImgiOjE3NywiZCI6MS4wLCJjcyI6MCwiZiI6MH0%3D.webpBBC.comDiscover Britain’s best summer events!
[/ul]
[ul]
[li][/li]http://images.outbrain.com/Imaginarium/api/uuid/d47f0a319226e424e8121d1383366cf862e8dfc541476cb7e60dc556bea93ecf/316/177/1.0/webpBBC NewsHusband’s tribute to his ‘curvy’ wife sparks backlash
[/ul]
[ul]
[li][/li]http://images.outbrain.com/Imaginarium/api/uuid/88bc4e4e2623f3a69927859fcf45c5743570e88703738ce596988e3fda8a849f/316/177/1.0/webpBBC NewsRyan Lock death: Soldier ‘turned gun on himself’ while

[/ul]
Recommended by Outbrain

[SIZE=5]Top Stories[/SIZE]
[B]North Korea ‘considers strike on US base’[/B][B]Kenya results hacked, opposition says[/B][B]Man held after car rams Paris soldiers[/B]
[SIZE=5]Features[/SIZE]
[URL=‘http://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-40864376/the-palace-in-india-where-time-stood-still’]
VIDEO
[SIZE=4]The palace in India where time stood still[/SIZE]

[/URL]

[URL=‘http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40865901’]
[SIZE=4]Can North Korea nuclear threat focus minds?[/SIZE]

[/URL]
[URL=‘http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-40861875’]
[SIZE=4]I was a victim of ‘upskirting’ - but I’m fighting back[/SIZE]

[/URL]

[URL=‘http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-39967175’]
[SIZE=4]From brogues to celebrity trainers[/SIZE]

[/URL]
[URL=‘http://www.bbc.com/news/world-40865261’]
[SIZE=4]Was Google wrong to fire memo author?[/SIZE]

[/URL]

[URL=‘http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40866111’]
[SIZE=4]Can this US city go 72 hours without a murder?[/SIZE]

[/URL]

[SIZE=4]Premier League at 25: The oligarchs - 2002-2007[/SIZE]

[URL=‘http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29713594’]
[SIZE=4]The life of legend Glen Campbell[/SIZE]

[/URL]
[URL=‘http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40863148’]
[SIZE=4]Ugandan gold rush stopped by authorities[/SIZE]

[/URL]

[SIZE=4]Ads by Google[/SIZE]
[SIZE=5]News navigation
BBC News Services[/SIZE]
[ul]
[li]On your mobile[/li][li]On your connected tv[/li][li]Get news alerts[/li][li]Contact BBC News[/li][/ul]

Sport
[ul][li]Weather[/ul][/li][ul][li]TV[/ul][/li][ul][li]Radio[/ul][/li][ul][li]CBBC[/ul][/li][ul][li]CBeebies[/ul][/li][ul][li]Food[/ul][/li][ul][li]iWonder[/ul][/li][ul][li]Bitesize[/ul][/li][ul][li]Music[/ul][/li][ul][li]Arts[/ul][/li][ul][li]Make It Digital[/ul][/li][ul][li]Taster[/ul][/li][ul][li]Local[/ul][/li][ul]
[li]Terms of Use[/li][li]About the BBC[/li][li]Privacy Policy[/li][li]Cookies[/li][li]Accessibility Help[/li][li]Parental Guidance[/li][li]Contact the BBC[/li][/ul]
Copyright © 2017 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
http://stats.bbc.co.uk/o.gif?~RS~s~RS~News~RS~t~RS~HighWeb_Story~RS~i~RS~40815064~RS~p~RS~99121~RS~a~RS~International~RS~u~RS~/news/world-africa-40815064~RS~r~RS~0~RS~q~RS~0~RS~z~RS~8392~RS~

2

Jesus Christ!!! people will stop reading your content. Kwani you don’t know how to copy paste???
kama haujui admit it or ask so that you can be taught how to but no matter how good your posts are if all you do is just copy everything in a page then nobody be reading them. what’s so hard in just copping the article plus the link or maybe posting a summary plus the link?

8 Likes
3

:smiley: Control+A, Control+C, Control+V

2 Likes
4

leave her be
she’s just doing what firth does best


5

ai! wewe pia huwa na ujinga kama mtoto. Kama uko na shida na Malaika firth then go solve it with her, si lazima you refer to others as her

2 Likes
6

i like your choice of words. but there’s another way. but it doesn’t matter, forget it.

7

That article is bullshit


1 Like
8

hapo nimeona tu rink ya stretch marks art. acha nicrick

9

ur avatar na ur postings huwa haziambatani. ur avatar portrays youth, fun,sophitication your postings well
jijazie

1 Like
10

The creator of this thread may not be human. This thread looks like the output of a sophisticated Markov chain.

2 Likes
11

this is a very bored housewife who seems to have just discovered the copy n paste option/function

1 Like
12

You mean someone is married to a Markov chain whose transition matrix contains only copy, paste and post?

13

Weh kadame wacha kupost mbull chit araa and learn to post original content si copy paste kira kitu

1 Like
14

Can a real marriage really allow Raila and Uhuru come in between?

1 Like
15

This so true
but the beauty is, its all about ‘fear’. Fear for the power of politicians, as Moi taught us
but the truth, Wekenya tunapendana
my luo friends love the Kikuyu ladies
and I know of Kalenjin friends dating Kambas


16

Total bullshit reply from @Deorro. Uncalled for.

17

Better us, but our older folks are very tribalistic e.g. I come from Western-mnyore and i do not know how many times i have been warned to stay away from Kyuk women,i also hear how the older folks conversation about Kikuyu people in general and it is sad,i avoid such conversations,i have seen some family friends who have brought Kyuk women to introduce to their family and all they got was sneers and blank stares,One time as i was fixing one of my aunt’s phones i got a hold of some SMSes talking about one of my relatives pairing up with a Central chic and all i saw were insults,i would urge people to teach their kids better and keep their tribalistic feelings to themselves

1 Like