{"id":12114,"date":"2026-04-22T10:41:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T07:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:41:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T07:41:05","slug":"teso-elders-urge-youth-to-embrace-culture-to-strengthen-marriage-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114","title":{"rendered":"Teso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reuben Olita<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elders from the Teso community have challenged young people to reconnect with traditional values, warning that the abandonment of cultural practices is contributing to poor marriage choices and rising family breakdowns.<\/p>\n

Speaking from Amagoro in Teso North Sub-County, Pascalia Akong\u2019o lamented that many youths today enter relationships without understanding family background, clan ties, or cultural expectations\u2014factors that were once central in marriage.<\/p>\n

According to her, in the past, relationships were guided by families and elders. A man was expected to know a woman\u2019s clan and lineage before pursuing her, while both families played an active role in approving unions.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarriage was not an individual affair\u2014it was family-based. Elders ensured compatibility and prevented close relatives from marrying,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Akong\u2019o noted that today, many young people \u201chand-pick\u201d partners without guidance, leading to unstable unions and frequent separations.
\nShe also criticized the influence of social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, saying they promote misleading ideas about relationships and weaken respect for cultural norms.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pascalia Akong\u2019o<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cInstead of learning from elders, youths are turning to social media, where they are fed unrealistic expectations about love and marriage,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The elder emphasized that cultural teachings instilled discipline, patience, and respect\u2014values she believes are eroding among modern generations. She urged both boys and girls to seek guidance from elders and understand their identity, language, and traditions.<\/p>\n

However, some of the traditional practices she described\u2014such as arranged or forceful marriages and strict expectations around sexuality\u2014highlight a growing tension between cultural preservation and modern human rights perspectives.<\/p>\n

Akong\u2019o concluded by calling on Iteso youths living in urban areas to embrace their identity instead of hiding it.
\n\u201cBe proud of who you are. Love your language, respect your culture, and seek wisdom from your elders,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reuben Olita Elders from the Teso community have challenged young people to reconnect with traditional values, warning that the abandonment of cultural practices is contributing to poor marriage choices and rising family breakdowns. Speaking from Amagoro in Teso North Sub-County, Pascalia Akong\u2019o lamented that many youths today enter relationships without understanding family background, clan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-culture"],"yoast_head":"\nTeso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values - Horizon News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Teso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values - Horizon News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Reuben Olita Elders from the Teso community have challenged young people to reconnect with traditional values, warning that the abandonment of cultural practices is contributing to poor marriage choices and rising family breakdowns. Speaking from Amagoro in Teso North Sub-County, Pascalia Akong\u2019o lamented that many youths today enter relationships without understanding family background, clan […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizonnewsglobal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-22T07:41:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260422_103720.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"704\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"988\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Horizon News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Horizon News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Horizon News\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#\/schema\/person\/0aaeb0e26ff89059b5ef81bcf454e3c4\"},\"headline\":\"Teso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-22T07:41:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114\"},\"wordCount\":323,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260422_103720.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Culture\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114\",\"name\":\"Teso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values - Horizon News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260422_103720.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-22T07:41:05+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260422_103720.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260422_103720.jpg\",\"width\":704,\"height\":988},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Teso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon News\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2023-04-15-at-15.18.04.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2023-04-15-at-15.18.04.jpg\",\"width\":483,\"height\":483,\"caption\":\"Horizon News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizonnewsglobal\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#\/schema\/person\/0aaeb0e26ff89059b5ef81bcf454e3c4\",\"name\":\"Horizon News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af3de1890d7bafb4d1ac800e2af2660a9e865de75a28be465963ab3744754490?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af3de1890d7bafb4d1ac800e2af2660a9e865de75a28be465963ab3744754490?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Horizon News\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?author=4\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Teso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values - Horizon News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Teso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values - Horizon News","og_description":"By Reuben Olita Elders from the Teso community have challenged young people to reconnect with traditional values, warning that the abandonment of cultural practices is contributing to poor marriage choices and rising family breakdowns. Speaking from Amagoro in Teso North Sub-County, Pascalia Akong\u2019o lamented that many youths today enter relationships without understanding family background, clan […]","og_url":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114","og_site_name":"Horizon News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizonnewsglobal","article_published_time":"2026-04-22T07:41:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":704,"height":988,"url":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260422_103720.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Horizon News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Horizon News","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114"},"author":{"name":"Horizon News","@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#\/schema\/person\/0aaeb0e26ff89059b5ef81bcf454e3c4"},"headline":"Teso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values","datePublished":"2026-04-22T07:41:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114"},"wordCount":323,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260422_103720.jpg","articleSection":["Culture"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114","url":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114","name":"Teso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values - Horizon News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260422_103720.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-22T07:41:05+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260422_103720.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_20260422_103720.jpg","width":704,"height":988},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=12114#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Teso Elders Urge Youth to Embrace Culture to Strengthen Marriage Values"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#website","url":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/","name":"Horizon News","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#organization","name":"Horizon News","url":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2023-04-15-at-15.18.04.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2023-04-15-at-15.18.04.jpg","width":483,"height":483,"caption":"Horizon News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizonnewsglobal"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#\/schema\/person\/0aaeb0e26ff89059b5ef81bcf454e3c4","name":"Horizon News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af3de1890d7bafb4d1ac800e2af2660a9e865de75a28be465963ab3744754490?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af3de1890d7bafb4d1ac800e2af2660a9e865de75a28be465963ab3744754490?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Horizon News"},"url":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?author=4"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12114"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12115,"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12114\/revisions\/12115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}