As northern Kenya continues to grow vibrant with more communities heading to the region for business and employment opportunities, so has the lives of Somali women changed as new ideals, cultures and faith are introduced to various northern Kenya counties.
TUKO.co.ke spoke to five women who continue suffering to date for making life choices said to go against a common tradition in the Somali community.
The five, whose names have been concealed to hide their identity, spoke of stigmatization and being ostracized for choosing to live lives that were not part of their culture. Here are their stories:
Halima, 18, has a five month old son. She is happily married to an army officer from Western Kenya after their random meets whenever the officer made his rounds close to her home stead in Wajir in 2013 brought them close.
Things were however not always as rosy because her family eventually denounced her for this love she chose.