This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
Published on August 14, 2019, the Methodist Church of East Africa has sounded the alarm over the rising number of domestic violence and murder cases in Kenya, attributing them to the neglect of the boy child in the society.
The church's president, Bishop Joseph Nthombura, has called on government institutions, non-state actors, community, and religious organizations to take up the challenge and devise intervention measures to empower the boy child.
According to Bishop Nthombura, cases of homicides have been attributed to fights over property, drug abuse, and infidelity, with men often taking the blame for these cases.
“Most of these cases involve spouses killing their partners, or paying criminals large sums of money to kill them, and for all manner of reasons, which if the psychosocial part is followed it’s the men who are to blame since they feel drained up and not worthy in life,” said Bishop Nthombura.
During the East African men fellowship on the boy child empowerment, men from Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Kenya participated in games and activities to raise awareness of men's roles in society.
Reverend Alice Mutuma of the Methodist church in Nyambene emphasized that women are in full support of the program aimed at raising awareness for the boy child in the society.
She also blamed the Western-like lifestyle for the decay in African values and morals, with a majority of men indulging in heavy drinking, drug abuse, and domestic violence.
