Women are increasingly beating up men in Kirinyaga -Church notes

The church in Kirinyaga County has raised a red flag over the increase of domestic violence incidents targeting men within the region.

The vice has gone unnoticed since traditional men do not express their weaknesses in public leaving the issue unaddressed.

But Bishop Joseph Kibucwa of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Kirinyaga Diocese feels that this is the right time to address and manage domestic violence targeting men before things get too far for a turning point.

"It is in the public domain that some women in our county are beating their husbands," Kibucwa said during a Kenya Anglican Men’s Association confirmation session.

The event took place at the Kerugoya ACK church Cathedral where more than 200 men were in attendance.

Domestic violence targeting either men or women is a violation of human rights.

The United Nations has in the recent past described it as shadow pandemic, which has been on the rise since the outbreak of the Covid 19 crisis.

Bishop Kibucwa notes that it is against the teachings of Christianity.

In Kirinyaga, the cases of men who are being battered by their wives has been on a constant rise.

Most incidents have gone unreported to the police, while a few have been reported to security officers especially in Gichugu Constituency.

It has been noted that women combine effort with their children to beat up the head of the family.

"There should be harmony in our homes. Women should not turn against their husbands and, children should respect their parents in order to live long lives," the Bishop said.

The issue of men being bullied by the families they head has discouraged young men from marriage.

“Men are nowadays afraid of marriage. I mean, why would one get married to a person who will at some point in life, beat you up? So they take refuge in drugs and other vices," he said.

But where did the rain start beating a number of men who are facing the wrath of women?

Rose Wachira is a counselor who has been helping families since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, under her initiative know as Extra Mile counseling.

She says that the modern woman has been empowered and can eke out living without the help of a man.

This, she explains, has increased the level of insecurity in many men.

"Once insecurities have set in, a man must look for an alternative, drugs," she says.

She adds that, at some point in life when a man drowns in addiction, the wife will get fed up and that is when tables turn.

Besides that, it has been noted that financial challenges have contributed greatly to the whole ordeal of a number of men suffering in the hands of their wives.

Andrew Ngirici, a businessman and politician says that a poor man has no place in his own home.

"If you cannot feed for your family, definitely you'll find yourself in hot soup. They will scorn you and beat you up," he said.