• Elders say the habit is easy to start but tough to quit, resulting in divorces and lonely marriages.
• Men are said to be most affected as they have failed to fulfil their conjugal obligations to their wives.
Many married young men in Lamu have transferred their affection from their wives to pornography, Lamu elders have said.
The young wives are now lonely and miserable.
The Lamu council of elders and religious leaders have raised the alarm over high divorce rates among young couples blamed on the addiction.
The elders say the habit is easy to start but tough to quit, resulting in divorces and lonely marriages.
The elders believe the addiction inhibits the growth and stability of the marriages and that in most cases, divorce is inevitable as the neglected partner leaves in search of comfort and care.
There is also increased consumption of pornographic material among youth and children in general, the elders said.
According to the elders, spouses prefer spending much of their time on the internet and on social media instead of working on their marriages.
Council secretary general Abubakar Shelali said spouses were rushing to divorce each other so that they can be free to watch erotic videos for sexual gratification.
“A man would rather be alone and get his sexual gratification from watching videos. They rush for divorce at the slightest provocation because they are addicted to this dirty habit,” Shelali said.
A recent report released by the office of the Lamu senior resident Kadhi Swaleh Mohamed earlier this month put divorce rates in the area at 60 per cent.
Shelali observed that couples who are hooked on pornographic material are difficult to engage with when marital conflicts arise.
“They don’t see the need for a wife or husband because they have designed another option. It’s a sad state of affairs,” Shelali said.
Council deputy chairperson Mohamed Mbwana said men are more affected by the addiction and are reported to have failed to fulfil their conjugal obligations.
“It has now come to our attention that families have turned dysfunctional because of it. We don’t know where it started but we know if we don’t do something, it could destroy the future generations,” Mbwana said.
The Coast Interfaith Council of Clerics chairman Ustadh Mohamed Abdulkadir said watching any kind of pornographic material is against religion.
Abdulkadir blamed the problem on the free use of phones and internet among young people.
He noted that social media and the internet have both positives and negative benefits and urged the youth to focus more on the positive.
“If you seek to be close to Allah, you will teach your eyes to resist evil. You will teach your heart to desire good. What is happening is not Allah’s will at all,” Abdulkadir said.