Preaching at Kisii New Life SDA Church on Saturday, March 5, Pastor Elizabeth Mokoro delved into the thorny issue of finances in marriage and divorce. In her sermon, Mokoro argued that fully depending on harambee to fund a wedding is a sign that the couple involved has not invested in the union and as such, may bolt out at any time they feel like and not feel responsible or pained.
The preacher gave a scenario where a man is on a contract job and the lady is jobless but has planned a KSh 700k wedding. The two only give KSh 50k and ask family members to fork out the rest. "During marriage counseling, you are taught to manage finances - money that you now don't have. Your wedding alone was a loan. Your wedding alone is a contribution from members. If your dowry has been paid with a loan it's better to leave that man as it's better a broken engagement than broken marriage because you don't want to start life on a false note," she said.
Adding: "I think it is better that we contribute the money and buy you a parcel of land where you can set up a home...and if you divorce, we come and sell that plot and have our contributions reimbursed. When you divorce carelessly, it is the people that funded your wedding who will be left wondering what went wrong."
Borrowing for dowry While taking a swipe at certain communities for treasuring dowry than the values and principles of the man asking for their daughter's hand in marriage, Mokoro, who is also a marriage counselor discouraged men from borrowing to pay dowry. She slammed couples who get loans for dowry and weddings adding that this type of people also compound the situation by getting many children and yet they cannot afford the basics like food and diapers. According to the admin at the Central Nyanza Conference, during her practice as a marriage counselor, she has learned that most couples seeking divorce still claim to love each other.
0 Comments