By the age of 68, Musa Kasera of Uganda had decided that 102 children and five hundred and seventy-eight grandchildren would be enough for him. He decided to stop. Rumor has it that his wives go to various lengths, up to and including taking birth control pills, just to keep the family from growing further.
The man admits that he is beginning to forget his children’s names. The youngest of his children is 10 years old, the oldest about 50. The youngest of his wives is 35 years old. Musa’s huge family lives in the village of Bugis on just two acres of land. When Musa’s health declined, his two wives left him. The man could not afford to provide everything the family needed: food, clothing, and educational expenses.
The 68-year-old man is the main attraction of his village. People from all over the continent travel to see Musa and his offspring. Most family members live mostly in a ramshackle house made of corrugated iron. Other family members live nearby in thatched-roof houses. Musa married for the first time in 1972. He and his wife were 17 years old at the time.
A year later they had a daughter, Sandra. Next, his relatives and friends advised him to become a polygamist, to enlarge his family. Many families with children already ready for marriage consider it an honor to marry their children to Musa’s children. In addition to being a local landmark with many children and grandchildren, he is also a successful cattle rancher and trader in the local lands.
Musa states that there are still some families who offer to marry their underage children to him. Musa’s son, Shaban Magino, is one of his few children who is educated. He works as a schoolteacher and helps his father run his business. In order to keep the family idyllic and good relations between its members, they have monthly family meetings.