This archive report was first published on 24 September 2019.
Published on September 24, 2019, a question posed by a priest in a WhatsApp group has sparked a heated debate on the state of Kenyan families: 'How possible is it that a person you love, share the closet intimacy of your bed, bore children [with] and made a home can be your murder target?'
The question has been echoed in recent weeks, particularly after the discovery of Dutch billionaire Tob Cohen's body in circumstances suggesting homicide. His widow is being treated as the main suspect, but she is innocent until proven guilty.
Spousal murders have become a growing concern in Kenya, with many cases reported in recent years. The incident has reignited the debate on the root causes of these killings, with some attributing it to a culture of laziness and materialism.
University of Nairobi lecturer James Kariuki's quote, 'What people call love is a temporary state of mind. People don’t fall in love, they fall in love with what they can get from that person,' has been widely shared and discussed. However, the quote has been criticized for its cynical tone and for suggesting that women are the primary perpetrators of spousal murders.
Columnist Philip Kitoto featured a 25-year-old man who confessed his preference for older women, raising questions about the value system of young men in Kenya. The article sparked a debate on the motivations behind such relationships and the potential consequences for the women involved.
Many experts believe that the crisis of spousal killings in Kenya is linked to a broader issue of laziness and a lack of productivity among young people. Instead of engaging in honest work, many young men and women are seeking easy money and material comfort, often at the expense of their relationships and their own well-being.
