This archive report was first published on 13 January 2020.
Tharaka-Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki has urged Njuri Ncheke elders to establish a standard bride price for Ameru community girls, regardless of their education level.
Speaking in Chuka town, Governor Njuki noted that some parents were demanding excessive dowry payments, claiming their daughters were graduates, making it difficult for young men to marry.
He emphasized that the Ameru culture has a clear guideline for bride price, but people no longer adhere to it. 'The bride price for all our girls should be equal according to the Ameru community culture,' said Governor Njuki.
He further stated that traditionally, the man's family was required to pay dowry in the form of livestock, traditional brew, and honey, not hundreds of thousands of shillings as some parents are demanding.
According to Governor Njuki, parents should stop treating their daughters as commodities and agree to bless them as they start their families.
On October 2020, Njuri Ncheke elders, led by Secretary General Josphat Murangiri, met with Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi to standardize bride price for Meru and Tharaka Nithi residents.
Traditionally, dowry was paid in the form of one she-goat or a bundle of miraa, a drum of honey, a heifer, a bull, a ram, and a blanket for the girl's mother and a coat for the girl's father.
However, some parents now ask for reimbursement of school fees on top of the traditional bride price, with some demanding as much as Sh500,000.
Governor Njuki's call for a flat rate in bride price comes as young people cite high dowry prices as a stumbling block to starting families.
