Kikuyu married to a Luhya

Hi and thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to my blog, Call me 'Mulamwa'..meaning in-law in Luhya. Am a young lady aged 32 with origins from Central Kenya, married to a dashing Luhya man who loves me to bits with a daughter who is considered a royalty in the Wanga Kingdom.

My motivation to start this blog  is to share my world, joys, fears, frustations, truimphs as a lady married to a different community in the present day Kenya. More so because the tribe is a factor in politics which to a greater extent determines how we percieve each other within and without our communities.

Am not much of a writer, but I hope as I put my thoughts down, I welcome you (man or woman )who faces the same situation to share your experiences of inter marriage and desires acceptance and tolerance of those we share this great land with.

It burdens my heart that tribe in Kenya sets us apart as a nation and puts marriages like me in an awkward position and our children in an awkwarder position.

Every time polititians pull out the tribe card on each other it takes me back to unpleasant memories of PEV in 2007/2008 and what was experienced in Rwanda.

Mine is not to discuss tribes, but rather bring to light another group of people, men and women who have found soul mates and their better halfs outside and beyond their ethnic background. From these men and women comes a generation that is neither kikuyu, luhya, Luo, kamba, kalenjin, meru etc but a Kenyan generation that appreciates their diverse cultural heritage.

One incident that struck me the most, was during the post election violence in early 2008 when a close friend lets call her Stella (who is kalenjin married to a kikuyu ) had her daughter Njoki posed a question that she couldnt answer. "Mum why are gogo's (maternal grandma) people attacking cucu's (partnernal grandma)  people?" she asked.

Your guess is a good as mine. She had no answer!

Stella confessed that that question hit her hard and she could see the confusion in Njoki's eyes who loves her gogo and cucu so dearly despite the fact that they are from different ethnic back grounds. Is she to make a choice?....ofcourse not!

Sometimes I feel the same confusion and try to have a neutral stand when family and people around start talking politics that puts my spouse, child and I in an uncomfortable position.We do not take positions but chose to rise above.

Just like in the Bible Ruth told Naomi, that your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God....so I also gave of myself to my new home and family. I have had the priveldge to experience a different community some, good and some not so good. Nonetheless, I thank God for helping see beyond our differences.

As for my Wanga Princess, I promise to bring her in the fear of our Lord Jesus Christ, that she will not see other through the tribal or racial lens, but rather a child of God, a kenyan and appreciate her Luhya and Kikuyu heritage.


Share your thoughts and experinces as a man or woman in an cross -cultural marriage in Kenya and what impact the PEV or Hague process has beenon your marriage.

God Bless Kenya!