In Karombo Village, on the shores of Kisumu town lives a man who believes age is just a number and disability is not inability.
Mzee Peter Bengo Nyaure aka Lord Bengo is well known for his rare and debatable act of inheriting at least 60 widows.
From Nyahera division in Kisumu West Constituency, Lord Bengo admits that he has bedded more than 60 widows and he is ready to expand his ‘kingdom’ of widows.
Lord Bengo defends himself on grounds that he has selflessly decided to help the widows whom modern society junks or ‘exploits’.
Using his charming words derived from Luo songs, and Luo romantic sayings, he wins as many widows as he wishes.
Then he helps them by setting up a home and performing the ‘important rite’ before setting on for another new catch.
Kisumu region being one of HIV infection prone zones, the old man is quick to say that he ensures they have done a HIV test before anything becomes solid.
In 1999, Luo elders met and agreed that the Luo practice of wife inheritance be reserved for widows who were free from AIDS.
Luo Elders from Lord Bengo’s own made ‘Kingdom’ have bashed him accusing him hiding behind an old tradition to exploit widows.
One of the elders noted that the Luo tradition allows one to inherit not more than 3 women unlike Mzee Bengo who says has more than 60 widows
All along with the ever-growing number of widows, he has a wife and kids that he says he loves them so much!
