You’ll know about this, as you like to stay informed. American prophet and pastor Israel Ford and his first wife, Lydia Ford (prophetess to her followers), told their LifeWorks Church congregants that Israel Ford had “revealed” (Uganda/Kenya speak) their second wife, Shakayla Ford.
They took it a step further, saying monogamy is not Biblical, and referenced Exodus 21:10, which says, in a modern rendition, “When a man takes a new wife, he shall not reduce her food, clothing, or conjugal rights.”
Viral videos circulating on social media, particularly from Nigerian accounts, caption mega Israel Ford as such.
However, Prophet Ford isn’t the first; Pastor Rich Tidwell of Ormond Church, Canton, Missouri, made his two-wife revelation public in mid-2025. He goes on extensively about his “biblical polygyny.”
He says God has never said it was wrong, unlike polyandry or homosexuality. He also says the Old Testament regulated it.
No wonder Nigerians are getting so excited. We’ve got polygamy nailed. Mzungus hate it, saying it’s very backward. So what is going on?
I have issues with polygamy and indeed monogamy. I’m a techno-monogamist. Monogamy and marriage, in general, haven’t kept up with technology. We’ve been wasting time and resources using our natural biological methods to procreate, date and raise children.
However, I wouldn’t want to be banned or not invited to dinner parties, so I won’t write much about completely ectogenic (artificial womb) pregnancy, which would allow humans to treat reproduction as a critical public utility.
When reproduction is moved out of the body and into the lab, now a couple can formalise a smart-contract partnership at 20, focus on their careers, and safely order their genetically optimised offspring via an automated facility at 40, without a single day of morning sickness or missed work.
But I want to address some myths around polygamy. President Yoweri Museveni warned men against polygamy in his speech to the nation in August 2014. He said that having multiple wives can hinder family unity and create issues with the sustainability of resources such as land. However, that if you can afford to provide for your many wives, then you can marry them.
This is a common belief. If you’re poor, don’t get into polygamy. Let the rich have all the fun. Take Ugandan Musa Hasahya Kasera from Butaleja, who famously had 12 wives, 102 children and 578 grandchildren. He made international headlines in January 2023 when he announced he was finally going to stop, as he could no longer afford the rising cost of living.
His wives are now on contraception to prevent any more additions to the family. His third wife, Zabina, said the children get only one meal a day, or two if they’re lucky. The pressure has caused two of his wives to leave him.
Three others have left to move to a town roughly two kilometres away due to overcrowding. Kasera, who is unemployed, is quite the tourist attraction in his village.
Kasera overplayed his hand. However, polygamy is probably what poor men should do. This is because a polygamous household acts as a basic Sacco (savings and credit cooperative society). It can be a good way for all the different households to share resources. However, petty jealousy and rivalry stop this from happening.
Many polygamous men tend to be authoritarian, not creative, managers. They don’t ask for expert advice (it’s tricky to take a business consultant seriously if they’re single or have only one wife, while you have 12!) or even ask other men to help manage their large families.
With America going downhill and becoming poorer in the coming years, they’ll be as polygamous as many African countries currently are.
However, if you’re rich, then you don’t need a Sacco, so contrary to what Museveni said, you shouldn’t marry more wives. Although the benefit of having a polygamist is obvious, there is an issue. Usually, the rich marry upwards.
Low-income people have to marry upwards strategically. The rich man from Bukomansimbi will move to Kampala and become richer. With several large buildings and a new-generation Range Rover, he’ll likely marry the permanent secretary/minister’s daughter. He won’t marry a poor girl from Bukomansimbi.
This issue is complicated because people marry for love and status. If we didn’t, we’d say that if you’re rich, you have to marry someone poorer. If you’re poor, you can’t marry someone else poor. You have to do everything possible to marry upwards.
This would make marriage a way to elevate everyone and eradicate poverty. However, you can see the political implications. We’d no longer pretend to be a democracy, as only an extreme dictatorship could enforce this. But you don’t have to take a techno-monogamist seriously, do you?