This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
Published on July 18, 2019, a tragic trend has been unfolding in Kenya, where family members are turning against each other, resulting in devastating consequences.
Two recent incidents, one involving a former Member of County Assembly (MCA) who shot his wife dead before taking his own life, and another where a woman axed and stabbed her gardener husband to death, suffocated their two children, and then hanged herself, have highlighted the alarming frequency of such cases.
While the exact reasons behind these killings may never be known, experts point to the mental condition of the perpetrators as a suspect factor. In many cases, the killers have been found to be struggling with stress and frustration, which they are unable to cope with in a healthy manner.
Traditionally, women have found solace in sharing their problems with fellow women, while men tend to bottle up their frustrations, leading to destructive outcomes. The case of the former MCA, who had confessed to frequent battery by his wife, is a stark reminder of the need for men to seek help and support in managing their stress.
Escalating family killings have been blamed on socio-economic stresses that make it impossible for family heads to meet their obligations. A sense of helplessness and hopelessness sets in, impairing their capacity to cope, and literally pushing them to the edge.
The law of supply and demand locks out many families from counselling services needed to cope with harsh economic times. The Division of Mental Health of the Ministry of Health must urgently put structures in place to make universal mental health services a reality.
This situation calls for a crash programme to train counselling and clinical psychologists to help families manage stress and stem a looming epidemic of homicide and suicides. The urgency cannot be understated given that most victims and perpetrators are at their prime with young children that need their parents alive.
