This archive report was first published on 30 August 2019.
On a sunny day in 1967, my parents tied the knot in a small village church, surrounded by their community. This was a time of great change in our country, with the law being amended just 13 years later to include women in the registration of person's ordinance, replacing the traditional Kipande with the first-generation paper identity card.
My mother, like many women of her era, took her husband's name without hesitation. Her ID and important documents bear her given name followed by her husband's name, a common practice at the time.
However, times have changed, and women are now more inclined to keep their fathers' names rather than taking up their husbands'. This shift is a testament to the growing empowerment of women and their desire to maintain their individual identities.
The recent marriage of Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru to city lawyer Kamotho Waiganjo sparked a national debate on this very issue. Some news outlets referred to her as Mrs. Waiganjo, while others waited with bated breath for her response to the question of whether she would take up her husband's second name.
As a woman who has built her political brand around the Waiguru name, it's unlikely that Governor Waiguru would want to change it. Her distinct brand and the ridicule she has faced over the years have only strengthened her resolve to maintain her identity.
As award-winning American rock star Tina Turner once said, 'The only thing I asked of my abusive husband during our divorce hearing was the permission to keep his last name.' This sentiment echoes the sentiments of many women today who value their independence and individuality.
It's time to recognize that a woman's identity is not defined by her husband's name. There are better ways to assert one's masculinity, and demanding a woman to change her name after marriage is not one of them.
