Polygamy is a practice that is commonly associated with Africans, despite the fact that it is a widespread phenomena in Africa. Polygamy is a legal and acceptable form of marriage in almost every African community. Politicians in Africa are not immune to this practice, with some boasting of many spouses.
We’d be performing a rundown of some of the continent’s more polygamous presidents in recent years.
1. Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya)
Jomo Kenyatta was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who served as the country’s first President from 1964 to 1966.
He is the father of Kenya’s current President, Uhuru Kenyatta. Kenyatta had four wives during his lifespan. Through an anthropological lens, he saw monogamy as a fascinating Western tradition, but he did not practice it himself, instead having sexual intercourse with a varied range of women throughout his life.
He married Grace Wahu, his first wife, in 1919. In 1942, he married Englishwoman Edna Grace Clarke, but the pair divorced four years later. In 1950, a Senior Chief gave Kenyatta one of his daughters as his third wife.
2. Nnamdi Azikwe (Nigeria)
Nnamdi Azikiwe, better known as “Zik,” was a Nigerian leader who served as the country’s first President from 1963 to 1966 and as Nigeria’s Governor General from 1960 to 1963.
He was a polygamist with three wives. His first wife, Flora Azikiwe, died in 1983, and he went on to have two additional wives, Uche Azikiwe and Ugoye Comfort Azikiwe.
3. Yahya Jammeh (Gambia)
Between 1994 and 2017, Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh, a Gambian politician and former military officer, ruled as the country’s leader. By the way, he’s a polygamist.
Tuti Faal, Zineb Jammeh, and Alima Sallah were among the former dictator’s wives.
Former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has been accused by three women of rapping and sexually assaulting them when he was still in power.
4. Mswati III (Swaziland)
Mswati III is the king of the Swazi Royal Family and the ruler of Eswatini. He was born in Manzini, Eswatini, to King Sobhuza II and one of his younger wives, Ntfombi Tfwala.
The polygamist has 14 wives and is 50 years old. He has 24 children, three of whom he has divorced.
5. Jacob Zuma (South-Africa)
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is a South African politician who served as the country’s fourth President from 2009 to February 14, 2018, when he resigned.
Jacob Zuma was well-known for his polygamy and female preferences. One of his spouses is Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo ( marrred 1973) Kate Mantsho is a London-based writer ( married 1976; died 2000) Nkosazana Dlamini ( married 1982; divorced 1998) Thobeka Mabhija , Nompumelelo, & Gloria Bongekile Ngema.
He was supposed to be about to marry his seventh wife in 2018, but nothing has been heard since.
