A bill allowing men to marry as many women as they want was signed into law by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta today, despite widespread criticism from women’s groups.

The Bill, which amended existing legislation, was passed by Parliament last month to formalise traditional practices regarding marrying more than one person.

The initial Bill had given a wife the right to veto the husband’s choice, but male members of Parliament overcame party divisions to drop the clause.

When the Bill was passed last month, female members of Parliament stormed out of the session after a furious debate.

And the national Federation of Women Lawyers has said it would mount a legal challenge against the law.

“We shouldn’t say this used to happen,” said Federation chairwoman Ruth Aura. “We should move with time. Things have changed.”

Ms Aura warned that allowing men to take more wives without the consent of their current wife or wives, the new law violates the Kenyan constitution’s requirement for equality in marriage.

The National Council of Churches in Kenya has also spoken out against the Bill.

“We know that men are afraid of women’s tongues more than anything else,” Soipan Tuya told fellow MPs when the Bill was passed.

“But at the end of the day, if you are the man of the house, and you choose to bring in another party — and there may be two or three — I think it behoves you to be man enough to agree that your wife and family should know.”