Being an 80’s baby means Kalekye Mumo grew up at a time when most parents preferred their kids settling down with people from the same tribe.
Marrying an outsider was more like trying to get disowned by your parents; and I believe this is how tribalism in Kenyan was born.
Speaking during her KM radio show; Kalekye for the first time opened up about her mother warning her against settling down with men from Nyanza and Western region.
From what Kalekye says is that her mum; was afraid of her marrying someone who could not speak the same language as her (kalekye).
My mum told me once, usiwai leta mjaka, mtu wa western kwa hii nyumba. Afadhali uolewe na muindi. Akasema what she knows of those people, you don’t understand them, what they speak, they are different, you can’t.
Generational teachings
Speaking about this, Kalekye revealed that such lessons always left her in an awkward position; now that she had to ask everyone she was interested where they came from. She went on to add;
So, at the back of my head as much as I’ll meet someone, I’ll start to ask them where they are from because that thing was put in my head from when I was a young person. Unagrow ukifikiria hivyo na ukimuuliza sana anakuambia hivyo ndio grandmother yake alimuambia and it was a big deal.
But with time, Kalekye says she grew up and was now able to make her own decisions; without having the judgmental advices passed down to her form her grandmother and mother.
I will still date them, I will still get to know them but in getting to know them, I’m more interested in you as a person, that doesn’t say anything about the tribe, that doesn’t mean juu mmetoka hio area mko hivyo because every different home is different.
With all this said and done- we are still not aware as to whether Kalekye decided to get married on the low; or is just enjoying life like everybody else.
