This archive report was first published on 13 August 2019.
On August 12, 2019, Dar es Salaam regional commissioner Paul Makonda announced a proposal to publish the identities of all married men on a state-run website.
The idea aims to prevent deceitful married men from preying on unsuspecting single women by making their marital status publicly accessible.
According to Mr. Makonda, many young women in the Dar es Salaam region have been deceived by men who promised to marry them, only to later abandon them.
Mr. Makonda stated, 'I have received a lot of complaints from young women. Many women from Dar es Salaam region have been deceived many times, and they have had enough. Men have been promising to marry them, then later, they [men] ditch the ladies. This is something that is humiliating.'
The proposed database will register all marriages, including Christian, customary, Muslim, and those filed at the registrar of marriages, making it accessible to the public.
This move comes after Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko sparked debate on the issue of married men having secret families in Kenya.
