Wajir Today Reporter
Religious leaders, traditional elders and community members in Lagboghol have agreed on a landmark 15-point resolution aimed at tackling the steadily rising cost of weddings, a trend that many say has placed an unbearable financial strain on families and discouraged young people from marrying.
The agreement, reached after a series of community consultations, sets strict limits on spending and bans on certain practices. Under the resolutions, gifts to the bride will be capped at KSh 60,000, and the practice of presenting miraa on the wedding day will no longer be allowed. The hiring of tents for wedding ceremonies has been prohibited, and the bride must be received at her new home by 8:30 p.m. on the wedding day.
To avoid unnecessary displays of extravagance, the resolutions ban wedding convoys from accompanying the bride to her new home. Dowry payments are to follow Somali cultural tradition, restricted to one camel, one cow, or eight goats. Only the bride will be permitted to have make-up applied, and the purchase of wedding furniture will remain optional rather than a social obligation.
The community has also moved to prohibit the use of wedding gowns, ending a trend many viewed as costly and unnecessary. Engagement parties have been banned, and no social celebrations will be allowed at this stage of the marriage process.
To safeguard the reforms, the resolutions impose a penalty of KSh 50,000 on anyone found violating the new rules. In addition, the community agreed to end the practice of giving gifts in excess of the set amount, stop the hiring of luxury cars for the bride’s transport, and discourage costly public displays that place a heavy burden on families.
Community leaders expressed optimism that the measures will not only ease the economic pressure on households but also help restore the cultural essence of marriage. “We are protecting both our values and our young people’s future,” said one elder, noting that the resolutions take effect immediately and are expected to inspire similar action in other parts of Wajir County.
