Former Kenyatta University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Olive Mugenda attributed the surge in gender-based violence to deteriorating family communication, urging communities to re-engage in conflict resolution.
Speaking at the International Conference for Women in Higher Education, Mugenda emphasized that modern individualism has eroded traditional support systems, leading to tragic outcomes. 'When issues arise, the community and parents once mediated, preventing escalations. Now, people handle problems alone, often resulting in violence,' she said.
Mugenda highlighted the need for collective action, including church involvement in counseling, to address root causes. 'Both men and women are victims—cultural norms have fractured,' she noted, calling for alternative conflict resolution strategies.
The discussion followed the 2019 murder of 28-year-old Beryl Ouma in Kahawa Sukari, where neighbors reported hearing her screams before her death. A postmortem revealed she was strangled, and her husband, Laiko Osuri, was arrested in the case.
