"Wanaogopa": Khalwale cracks ribs after pleading with men to marry his daughters

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Boni Khalwale used the funeral service of his third wife, Gloria Sekeiyan, to address single men in Shinyalu about his daughters

- The senator highlighted his daughter Flavia's impressive academic and professional credentials to make a case for her marriageability

- Khalwale's remarks drew attention for their unusual timing and his playful jab at men he accused of fearing his daughters

Senator Boni Khalwale has left Kenyans in stitches with his speech at his third wife, Gloeia Sekeiyan's, funeral.

The 66-year-old politician, father of 17, found an unlikely platform to play matchmaker at the funeral of his third wife, Gloria Sekeiyan, turning a solemn occasion into a moment that had mourners talking.

Addressing men in the congregation, the outspoken Kakamega senator made a public appeal for suitors to step forward and marry his daughters, insisting the men in his community had been dodging the responsibility for far too long.

Khalwale calls out men in Shinyalu

"Whenever I go to Shinyalu, I tell men there I have many daughters; they should come and marry them, but they are afraid of my daughters. You men!" Khalwale said during the funeral service.

He then zeroed in on one daughter in particular, making a point of listing her achievements as though presenting a curriculum vitae to a room of potential candidates. The daughter in question is Flavia, whose academic record, he said, speaks entirely for itself.

According to Khalwale, Flavia topped her class at Malinya Primary School before going on to excel at one of Kenya's most competitive institutions, Alliance Girls High School. She then proceeded to the University of Nairobi, where she studied economics, and currently holds a position at East African Breweries Limited, making her, in her father's own words, a working-class woman of substance.

"Flavia was a top student at Malinya Primary School, topped at Alliance Girls High School, and went to The University of Nairobi (UoN) to study economics and now works at EABL. She is a working-class woman. Why can't you marry her?" Khalwale said, directing the challenge squarely at the men seated before him.

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The senator's remarks carried the trademark bluntness he has long been known for in Kenyan public life. Rather than holding back in deference to the gravity of the occasion, Khalwale leaned into his characteristic directness, drawing a clear line between the kind of women he has raised and the hesitation he perceives among men in his community.

The speech came against the backdrop of mourning, as family and community gathered to pay their final respects to Gloria Sekeiyan. Despite the sombre setting, Khalwale's remarks injected a moment that many in attendance were unlikely to forget.

The senator is known for his large family and has never shied away from speaking candidly about his household and personal life. On this occasion, however, he used his grief as an unlikely stage to champion his daughter's prospects and issue what amounted to an open invitation to any man willing to take him up on it.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.