• An 84-year-old man who left his home 47 years ago came back recently and found out that the two wives he left behind had remarried
• As much Peter Oyuka didn’t give his expected time of return when leaving, he did not take the news kindly and wondered why they couldn’t wait for him to return
• Meanwhile, Oyuka also sired a son with another woman during the period he was away from home

84-year-old Peter Oyuka is an angry man after returning home to find that the wives he abandoned 47 years ago found new men and remarried.

The octogenarian walked out of his Makale village in Malava, Kakamega county, Kenya in 1974 aged 37.

The 84-year-old Oyuka talks to journalists after returning home (l). A section of the Malava market (r). Photos: Bernard Lusigi/Tim In Kenya.

Peter told his people that he was going in search of greener pastures because he needed to take care of two wives and five children, although details of where he was headed and his expected return date were scanty.

According to The Standard, Oyuka visited Kakamega in 1983, 1992 and 1996, but never set foot in his home despite being in close proximity to the family.

After a wait that seemed endless, the desolate wives moved on, got new partners and settled into new marriages.

Returns after 47 years

With 47 years gone, Oyuka walked back to his home on Tuesday, September 21, to a village where only a few individuals could recognise him.

As a matter of fact, one of his daughters-in-law almost raised alarm over fears that he was a stranger who had trespassed into the compound.

In line with the Luhyia customs, a white goat was sacrificed to pacify the ancestors before the prodigal son was allowed back into the home.

“I wish my wives were here today to welcome me home,” Oyuka intimated, lifting the lid on news that would break his heart.

The returnee was informed that the women he left behind had long moved into other homes and put memories of him behind them.

Disappointed

As much he was grateful that his family had accepted him back, he was disappointed that his wives did not stay around to wait for him.

“I wish my two wives well in their marriages. However, I’d like them to know that I’m still alive and that they should create time and visit me,” he said.

It is noteworthy that while he was away from home, Oyuka ended up in neighbouring Tanzania where he spent 13 years.

It is a period within which he not only met and fell in love with a Tanzanian woman but also sired a child with her.

When his stay in the country ended and he returned to Kenya, communication between the two collapsed.

“My Tanzanian lover stopped communicating with me, and is yet to allow me to meet our son,” he revealed.