32. Thomas McClendon (2002), reviewing civil court cases from the 1920s to the 1940s, explored tensions within ukungena rooted in Christianity. It is very notable from court cases that in the second half of the 20th century the practice of ukungena had declined greatly and, from testimonies of elderly informants, one gets a sense of the deep unpopular of the practice with most women. The introduction of an "official witness" at customary marriages also provided a legal basis for women to challenge undesirable marriages.