Is dowry (ruracio) required for a customary marriage?
Marriage Act · sources read 3 Oct 2026
Only as a token. If your community's custom requires dowry to prove a customary marriage, the Marriage Act says paying a token amount is enough to prove the marriage.
- Deadline
- Notify the Registrar within 3 months of completing the customary ceremonies.
- Deadline
- Apply for the marriage certificate within 6 months of the marriage.
- Where
- Registrar of Marriages (State Law Office, Attorney-General's office) to notify and register a customary marriage
What you need
- A declaration that the customary steps were done, signed or marked by two adult witnesses who played a key cultural role in the marriage.
Steps
- After the customary ceremonies, notify the Registrar of Marriages within 3 months.
- In the notice, state which customary law you followed and declare that the customary requirements to prove the marriage were done.
- Both of you apply for a marriage certificate within 6 months of the marriage and appear in person before the Registrar.
Watch out
- Under the Act, dowry can be stock, goods, money or other property, and it counts whether it is given or only promised.
- A customary marriage is presumed to be polygamous or potentially polygamous.
Who this covers
- Couples marrying under the customs of the community of one or both of them.
Official sources (1)
- Marriage Act, No. 4 of 2014 (Cap. 150) new.kenyalaw.org · read 3 Oct 2026