Elders decry rising cases of men battery in Kirinyaga

Kikuyu council of elders in Kirinyaga have raised concerns over the rising cases of domestic violence against men in the county.

This is after a number of men in Gichugu constituency spoke out about battery meted on them by their wives and or children.

Council chairman Cyrus Githaka regretted that such actions are happening to men who are entrusted with heading homes.

“It is an abominable for children to beat up their fathers while it equally is disrespectful for women to batter their husbands. Such actions reflect the rot that is deeply entrenched in our society and as such, our council has a huge task to correct this problem," he said.

Githaka cited the vice could emanate from inheritance feuds, economic frustrations and social irresponsibility on the side of the men.

He regretted that the situation is so bad that some victims are not speaking out as they fear being ridiculed.

He said some have even been forced to vacate from their homes and are now living with relatives.

“When men are battered, it hurts their ego and  is bound to destabilise them emotionally. We condemn such actions and warn children beating their fathers that it could earn them a curse,” he said. 

Githaka now says the council will send a delegation of 15 members in Gichugu who will hold talks with the victims together with the security team.

He said the meeting will look into the cause of the problem and seek to reconcile the family members. 

County governor Anne Waiguru regretted that such incidences are on the rise and encouraged residents to uphold morals that promote family cohesiveness and societal values.

“It is important that we put aside retrogressive practices and instead embrace those that are useful and those that will help sew the moral fabric. It is not within our culture for men to be battered and that should never be associated with our people. For that reason, elders have a great role to play to counsel our families on how they should live harmoniously,” she said.

The governor further enumerated the importance of elders in each community saying they play a great role in safeguarding the cultural practices  of their communities and to ensure that they are passed from one generation to another.

Waiguru and Githaka were speaking to the press in Sagana, Kirinyaga county during  a cultural exchange programme between the Agikuyu elders and Njuri Ncheke from Meru county.

Waiguru lauded the move saying such programmes help to restore sanity and sobriety in the country.

“The elders are rich in wise counsel and are custodians of our traditions. They foresee and guide their communities on the path to take. I would like to encourage them to have more of these cultural programmes as there are diverse topics that can bring them together apart from politics,” she said.

 Njuri Ncheke secretary general Josphat  Murangiri acknowledged the invitation from their Kirinyaga colleagues while expressing optimism that both teams will enhance a good working relation in terms of cultural practices and political beliefs  for the benefit of their communities.

“We hope to continue interacting in order to stamp out retrogressive culture such as  gender-based violence and female genital mutilation which regrettably is still being practiced,” he said.

Murangiri however gave an assurance that they are working with the government  to  eradicate the practice before government's projected timeline of year  2022.

-Edited by SKanyara