How In-laws are milking Suitors dry with Outrageous Ruracio Payments

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Kenyan Netizens are back at it. A photo has been circulating on social media that has caused uproar from Kenyans. The image was a breakdown of a kikuyu dowry requirements which has been termed by netizens as Exorbitant. You see Ruracio(Dowry) is very symbollic for the Kikuyu people.

Ever since time immemorial a kikuyu man with many daughters considered himself wealthy since each daughter’s dowry would propel him to a higher level in the society.

Today, dowry payment precedes a wedding in Kikuyu. The dowry payment is in a series of events namely “Kumenya mucii” (getting to know the bride’s home), “Kuhanda ithigi” (literally means planting a branch of a tree), followed by “Kuracia” (actual dowry payment) .This last process lasts a lifetime. Image result for ruracio

Itara (getting to see the nest or nesting place of their daughter) which is a visit to the Groom’s homestead is next and finally Kuguraria (aka gutinia kiande) the traditional kikuyu wedding of antiquity.


The first stage in the ruracio process is “Kumenya mucii” where the groom and his family get to know the bride’s home. The next step is the ” Kuhanda ithigi” which means “planting a branch of a tree”. This is symbolic of the bride being “booked.”

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Then the actual dowry payment ” ruracio”. After the payment of the dowry, the bride’s family gets to know the Groom’s home. The final stage is the actual Traditional wedding ceremony “Kuguraria”.

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Ruracio is the process of negotiating and paying the bride price while Uthoni is like a house party where both the bride and groom’s families get to know each other.

What are the Kikuyu Ruracio Requirements?

Related imageThe bride price or dowry is now determined by many factors such as how educated the bride is, her career, her social class, e.t.c. The bride price usually includes:

  • Items for the men in the family
  • A fattened ram
  • A He-goat
  • Sheep
  • Heifer
  • Blankets
  • Goats (which are counted in tens)
  • Local Beer made from honey
  • Gifts for the bride’s father.

Dowry in the Kikuyu culture differs depending with the region that one hails from. For Example, in some areas, they solely depend on what the mother of the bride’s dowry was. If the father didn’t take dowry…neither will he receive for the daughters. If he took two goats…he will receive two goats.

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