‘Expand your family’: After father’s advice, Tanzanian man now has 20 wives, 104 children, 144 grandchildren

Mzee Ernesto Muinuchi Kapinga says he remembers the names 50 of his children and remembers the rest only when he sees them.

He married his first wife in 1961 and welcomed his first child a year later, but his father pushed him to take on more wives (Image source: Afrimax)

A man in Tanzania has married 20 women and now lives with his 16 wives, seven of whom are sisters, 104 children, and 144 grandchildren in a small village, Pulse Africa reported. Four of Mzee Ernesto Muinuchi Kapinga’s wives have reportedly passed away. His homestead resembles a small village, with a separate house for each wife, and people bustling around, managing chores and caring for dozens of children, the report said.

In a recent interview with Afrimax, Kapinga revealed that his journey of expanding his family was at his father’s request. He married his first wife in 1961 and welcomed his first child a year later, but his father pushed him to take on more wives. Offering to pay the dowries, his father encouraged him to grow his family and have more children.

“Our clan is small, I want you to expand it,” Kapinga’s father reportedly told him, a challenge he readily accepted. His father funded the dowries for his first five wives and he went on to marry more women.

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“People think I control everything. But the truth is, the women keep this family together. I am only here to guide them,” Kapinga said, as reported by Pulse Africa.

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According to Oddity Central, one of his wives spoke highly of the good life she shared with Kapinga and told her sisters about it. Intrigued by the idea, the sisters decided they wanted to experience the same life. Ultimately, the seven sisters ended up marrying Kapinga and living together in harmony.

Talking about his children, Kapinga shared that he remembers the names of at least 50 of his children and remembers the rest only when he sees them. The report said he lost more than 40 children to illnesses and accidents.

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