Turning bride price into a business is completely wrong. In African tradition, the bride price was symbolic, not transactional. The exchange of a few livestock or modest gifts was a gesture of goodwill, not a sale of someone’s daughter. Today, however, some communities in Kenya demand outrageous sums, like a KES 2 million downpayment, even before discussions begin.  

This is immoral. Being part of such dowry negotiations, where money takes precedence over respect, is dehumanizing and an insult to the dignity of our daughters. This practice must end. 

Our girls are not commodities. Dowry should never be reduced to a commercial transaction but preserved as a sacred tradition rooted in love and honor, as it was meant to be.