This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
Published on September 23, 2019, a story in the Nation highlighted the alarming rate of family killings in Kenya. A University of Nairobi lecturer's comments on love sparked a heated debate, with many questioning the state of family values in the country.
The lecturer's assertion that people don't fall in love with each other but with what they can get from the other is a stark reminder of the erosion of fundamental family values. In a country where more than 75 per cent of the population professes Christianity, a religion founded on sacrificial love, such views are particularly concerning.
Love in human relations transcends geographical, religious, racial, and ethnic boundaries. While it is true that some people enter into marriage with material gain as their goal, the nature of love is such that it can be cultivated and nurtured, even in traditional societies where marriages were arranged.
However, the sociologist's comments about marrying for material gain raise grave concerns about the corrosion of family values. A nation that is steeped in graft and corruption has lost its way, with money and material possessions controlling the national psyche.
The consequences of this are dire, with spouses having no time for each other, let alone their children. The vicious circle of greed and materialism is perpetuated, with disastrous consequences when the truth comes to light.
Children are growing up in loveless marriages, where the constant absence of parents signals to them the direction to take in life. Soap operas and tales of sexual and material lust are sowing in children the mentality that money rules.
Unless we rediscover our values and place family above material acquisition, we are unlikely to see an end to rampant killings in families, whose frequency has caught the attention of a global agency, the United Nations Population Fund.
