• Worst-hit areas, according to the Kadhi’s court, are Lamu Island, Faza, Pate and Kizingitini in Lamu East.
• The situation is worsened by residents’ failure to register their marriages.
Cases of divorce filed in Lamu daily surpass the number of new marriages being registered. This is according to senior resident Kadhi Swaleh Mohamed.
He said 60 per cent of registered marriages end up in divorce. Kadhi’s courts are tasked, in part, with the registration and dissolution of marriages in line with the Muslim law.
Speaking in his office yesterday, Mohamed revealed that out of 10 marriage petitions received in his office monthly, at least six are about divorce.
He said the situation is worsened by residents’ failure to register their marriages. Many enter into “tricky unions” that soon collapse as one partner is normally not committed, he said.
According to the office, only 40 per cent marriages are legally listed. The rest are not. Mohamed suspects the statistics could be higher the figures from unregistered marriages are included. He also blamed the problem on failure by many couples to undergo marriage education before they formalise their unions.
“So many factors are at play here for the situation, but, basically, many don’t get the teachings needed to sustain marriages. That’s why for them this institution has become a game where they marry today and divorce tomorrow then do it all over again,” Mohamed said.
Drug abuse has equally played a major role in the breakage of many marriages, not just in Lamu but the entire coastal region.
“When one spouse is consuming drugs, it’s impossible to pay attention to your spouse or even children. It’ll be hard for such a person to take care of his family as he concentrates on satisfying his urge for drugs. Sometimes the issue of domestic violence creeps in and before you know it, the other spouse is in my office seeking a divorce,” he said.
Worst-hit areas, according to the Kadhi’s court, are Lamu Island, Faza, Pate and Kizingitini in Lamu East. Mohamed appealed to all stakeholders, including political and religious leaders, to condemn divorce and help people learn how to make marriages work, instead of fleeing at the slightest challenge.
His office plans to meet with religious leaders, including Sheikhs and Imams, to create awareness in mosques and public barazas on the need for members of the community to treasure their marriages.
“The high divorce rates don’t mean all is lost. There is a lot we can do to change mindsets and save marriages,” he said.
For his part, however, Ustadh Mohamed Abdulkadir wants couples thoroughly vetted before being allowed to marry so those who don’t mean well are barred from giving the marriage institution “a bad name”.
“In Malaysia, they have marriage schools. One can’t get married before attending them. That’s why marriages last there. Let’s borrow from them,” he said.
(Edited by F'Orieny)