Zakayo kalukhana with his wives/Courtesy
David Zakayo Kalukhana, a resident of Teresia Village on the outskirts of Kakamega County, has sired 107 children with his eight wives and seven concubines.
The 63-year-old man married his first wife in 1987 and then decided to add more because “a head like mine cannot be managed by one woman.”
“It is like a big sack of maize, which has to be divided into smaller parts for ease of movement. I need many wives so that they can manage the amount of brains and ideas in my head. I am too smart for one wife,” Mr. Kalukhana told the Sunday Nation.
Zakayo owns only half an acre of land, where he primarily grows maize and sugarcane to feed his family, apart from undertaking menial jobs to increase his income.
By this, he thinks he is not wealthy by local standards.
The polygamous man lives in mud-walled, semi-permanent houses roofed with iron sheets.
He compares himself with the legendary King Solomon of the Bible, who is said to have had 700 wives and 300 concubines.
“I have wives in different places, including in neighboring Nandi County. When I’m not farming, I go out to do menial work, including constructing stone fences around people’s homes. The work is well-paying, and it has helped me make some money to keep my family going. They will never sleep hungry as long as I’m alive,” said Mr. Kalukhana.
Mr. Kalukhana said he has the urge to add more children to his family, despite the hardships. He believes that his vast intellect and ideas needed more heirs to carry on his legacy.
Sam Oduor is the editor-in-chief at the Western Kenya Times who leverages the power of the Internet in telling stories that shape opinions.
