A self-styled minister and social media influencer has reignited online debate after claiming he pays his wife more than Sh130 million ($1 million) annually to be a stay-at-home mother.
Yahdan Yada, a viral influencer, herbalist and entrepreneur, says he pays Aji Yada Sh19 million ($150,000) for every pregnancy and each child, in addition to Sh32 million ($250,000) a year for choosing to remain at home.
The figures, which Yada says apply as the couple expects their fifth child, were reshared on social media by popular gossip site RaphouseTV, triggering widespread scrutiny and disbelief.
While gifts given to women after childbirth, commonly known as “push gifts”, have become more visible in celebrity culture, critics note they are typically symbolic or one-off gestures.
Structured payments running into tens of millions of shillings annually are considered virtually unheard of, even among high-income households.
The claims are not new. They first circulated widely in 2024, drawing similarly intense reactions.
In an interview with The Express last year, Yada said the payments were intended to honour motherhood as labour and to ensure his wife never has to choose between raising children and financial independence.
“I pay my wife $250,000 a year. She has a maid, she has a chef, and she has a personal stylist. It’s my job from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head, to maintain her because she is a gift from God,” Yada was quoted as saying.
The publication reported that Yada framed the arrangement as formal income rather than a gift, describing stay-at-home parenting as “one of the most demanding jobs in the world”.
He also urged other men to provide for their wives’ lifestyles, arguing that financial maintenance was a man’s responsibility.
“You don’t have to do it at $250,000, but it should be your job to maintain her,” he said. “Me? I just like to do it big because my woman is a blessing. She’s a big blessing.”
Reaction to the resurfaced claims has remained sharply divided.
“Paying your wife to have your kids is crazy work,” wrote Instagram user @trav_santana.
Others questioned the credibility of the figures. “Y’all believe anything,” commented @hulk_the_godson, while @dremersvision asked: “How is that financially sustainable?”
Yada, who refers to himself as a minister, produces content centred on wellness, veganism, herbalism and holistic health, and says he runs businesses under Yadalo Group SA.
He has also attracted attention for publicly acknowledging two wives — one based in the United States and another in West Africa, whom he describes as both life partners and business partners.
Supporters have praised his claims as a bold attempt to recognise unpaid domestic labour and women’s contribution to family life.
Critics, however, argue that the figures create unrealistic expectations, trivialise economic realities for most households, or are primarily designed to drive online attention.