Dead man with 100 wives gets Facebook page to reunite family at funeral
By ANIWednesday, October 13, 2010
WASHINGTON - Acentus Akuku, Kenya’s most famous polygamistm, is now on Facebook in a bid to reunite his family, which includes his 100 wives.
Akuku was in his late 90’s when he died from natural causes earlier this month. He married more than 100 women in his lifetime and fathered nearly 200 children.
Now, Nickson Mwanzo, one of his grandsons, has created a page on Facebook, where he wrote, “IF YOU ARE AKUKU’S FAMILY PLIZ JOIN AND SAY MORE ABOUT YOURSELF. THIS IS TO BRING THE RELATIVES TOGETHER” to convince Akuku’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, to come together for his burial, scheduled for December.
According to ABC News, one Facebook post said that Akuku left a lasting mark, “not only among family” but with the “whole world.”
Akuku married his first wife in 1939, and his second wife soon after, becoming a polygamist at the age of 22. He married his last wife in 1992. Akuku established two elementary schools solely to educate his children, as well as a church for his growing family to attend.
Members of the family told Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper that he valued discipline and work ethic, but was not a tyrant.
Damaris, who is wife number 13, told the Daily Nation that the secret to keeping everyone happy was treating all of his wives equally. She said he bought all of their clothes and provided them with everything they needed.
“He would say he wanted us to look like queens,” she said. (ANI)
