By Nicholas Anyuor
Nyanza Province could be facing silent cases of husbands being battered by their wives, administrators and children’s officers say.
They told The Standard On Saturday there were several cases in the villages and towns involving senior community leaders who feared going public about the matter.
In Kisumu, West Kolwa location chief Otieno Kabisae says he has heard of a number of cases, but handling them has been complicated since men do not report to his office for action to be taken.
He cites incidences where women sometimes threaten their husbands in public meetings with beatings, calling them names, but such men keep quiet to avoid public battering.
"Some call their husbands ‘dogs’ and even threaten to ‘crush’ them in public: such men do nothing, they remain silent. They don’t come to us to report such cases officially so that we follow them up," he says.
Homa Bay Children’s Officer Patrick Isadia says his office receives at least five such cases quarterly, though he adds there are many more cases in the area that are never reported.
No parental love
He says that some of the cases that have been reported to his office involve women accusing their husbands of not spending time at home even though they provide for everything.
"After doing investigations we realise these men fear violence at home since their wives beat them. This is has been a serious issue that needs solving for the sake of children," he said.
He, however, says most of the cases reported involve people of lower cadre in society while those involving senior people are never reported.
"We have known cases involving senior people, but they are the lot that will never tell anyone about their experiences," he says.
He adds, "Children from these families lack parental love and are not free with their parents for fear that whatever they say to a parent could lead to a fight."
Rachuonyo OCPD Naomi Ichami and her Kisumu counterpart Musa Kong’oli say their offices have not received such cases and are appealing to men to report for necessary action to be taken.
"They should not fear, they should just report to police so that we carry out investigations and take necessary action," said Ichami.
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