•Raila, calling for an urgent national discussion on gender based violence, said the “abnormality of the murders cannot become the normal.”
•“This scourge must come to an end. If you cannot reconcile, then, leave and let live,” the ODM leader said in a statement on Tuesday.
Image: RAILA ODINGA
ODM leader Raila Odinga has bemoaned the increasing cases of spouses killing one another in domestic fights.
The AU Infrastructure envoy decried that “too many lives are being lost on daily basis going by media reports.”
Raila, calling for an urgent national discussion on gender based violence, said the “abnormality of the murders cannot become the normal.”
“This scourge must come to an end. If you cannot reconcile, then, leave and let live,” the ODM leader said in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the ‘horrific deaths’ were unfortunate, especially after one wins their partner’s heart.
“It is unfortunate…instead of going on to cherish and love them, some suddenly turn physical, and at times horrifically end up killing them,” Raila said.
Cases of couples turning against one another in acts violence that turn tragic have been rampant lately, with incidents reported nearly every week.
Recently in Mbooni East, a man hacked his wife to death over a land dispute. He was lynched by irate villagers.
On April 8, a man killed his pregnant wife and two children using a sledgehammer in Mbeere South.
Several kilometers away that day, a GSU officer shot his wife seven times before turning the gun on himself after a quarrel.
Hudson Wakise, reports show, acted in rage amid reports Pauline Wakasa - his wife of seven years, had decided to separate with him and move out of their matrimonial home.
Police on April 14 recovered the remains of woman allegedly killed by her boyfriend in Witeithie area in Juja, Kiambu county.
Evans Karani’s vehicle got stuck in the mud and fled, leaving the body in the car. Nyokabi’s father told journalists after the autopsy that the body was badly disfigured.
The 38-year old Kiambu businessman would be subjected for mental checks after claiming he killed the girlfriend over infidelity 'and abandoned her to be eaten by wild animals.'
In his ninth address on the Covid19 pandemic, President Uhuru Kenyatta raised concerns with the "increasing tensions within (our) homes."
The President ordered the National Crime Research Centre to probe the escalating cases of gender-based violence and violation of children’s rights.
The Centre was further directed to prepare an advisory to security agencies on remedial action within 30 days, and initiate immediate prosecution of all violators.
The President also sounded the alarm that mental health issues had worsened, and instances of teenage pregnancy have escalated.
"I appeal to social institutions, including the religious institutions, to exercise civic responsibility to bring these unfortunate trends to an end," President Kenyatta said during the July 6, 2020 address.
"We must always remember that the family is a projection of the State. If the family is under attack, the State is under attack. If the family is weak, the country is weak," he appealed.
Despite the concerns by the national leaders, the cases remain rife, with observers saying the fights could just be a trigger of underlying issues - including financial distress in households.