The 3 of us: Why Kisii mum agreed to share man, live in same house with co-wife

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- What would you do if your husband told you he was in love with another woman?

- For Cecilia, the answer was unexpected: she embraced her husband's second wife and invited her into their home

- The three lovebirds, Cecilia, Mariam, and Takid, now share one home while raising the eight children as one big happy family

When Takid Master finally told his wife Cecilia that he had fallen for another woman, she says the confession barely surprised her.

The mother of five from Kisii disclosed that she had already sensed the shift well before her husband put it into words.

Family Built on an Unlikely Foundation

What came next, however, surprised many people around them. Rather than ending the marriage, Cecilia chose to welcome Mariam Nyambura into the family.

In an interview with BBC Swahili, she noted that they eventually agreed that all three adults would share a single home.

Today, each wife occupies her own room in the house while Takid, 42, rotates between them.

Takid is a martial arts instructor, fitness coach and media personality who also serves as a national coach and secretary at the Kenya Federation Competition.

He married Cecilia 26 years ago, when he was just 17 years old. Five years into that marriage, he wed Mariam, who is Muslim.

Together, the two unions have produced eight children: five with Cecilia and three with Mariam.

For Cecilia, the arrangement has gradually settled into something resembling ordinary domestic life. She points to the practical upsides of running a large household.

"The advantage is that we have a large family, because I have five children while Mariam has three, so chores are done with ease," she says.

What Holds the Household Together

Mariam, for her part, says an open-minded attitude towards marriage was something she carried long before she ever met Takid. The journey simply led her to a household that was already established.

Takid says his income comes largely from training expatriates, and that the key to sustaining such a household goes beyond money.

"Martial arts helps us with some tenets in life. We have self-control, humility, honesty, perseverance, and a high level of discipline," he says, crediting his job with shaping the qualities he relies on at home.

He adds that life inside the house is far less dramatic than outsiders might imagine, as they lead normal lives in one house.

When there are events, we attend them together, and most people are aware of them," he says. "Even if you follow us secretly, you will find nothing unusual."

Notably, Takid's own upbringing in Bondo, where his father had just one wife, gave him no blueprint for the path he eventually chose. He is also careful not to present his lifestyle as one others should aspire to copy.

"I am not advising the youth to adopt my polygamous style. It is not easy. Let them do what is manageable," he says.

For this unconventional Nairobi household, the arrangement is not a statement about polygamy but simply the life they have built together, one day at a time.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.