Alarm over surge in violence against men

Authorities in Taita Taveta County have raised the alarm over a disturbing rise in domestic violence against men, with officials describing the trend as an emerging and underreported form of gender-based violence (GBV).

“There is increasing physical violence being reported among men, manifested through battering by their spouses,” said Mwatate Deputy County Commissioner Miriam Tila yesterday.

The revelations come as Mwatate Sub-County Administrator Joseph Jumases publicly disclosed that he had divorced his first wife after allegedly enduring years of physical abuse.

Speaking at a GBV forum held at the County Commissioner’s office in Mwatate Town, Jumases — a former Bura councillor and vice-chairman of the now-defunct Taita Taveta County Council — recounted his ordeal of repeated abuse at the hands of his former wife.

“My wife battered me constantly until I eventually divorced her. She used to beat me and, on one occasion, attacked me with a machete, leaving me with a leg injury,” he told the meeting.

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Jumases said he decided to share his experience in the hope that other men suffering in silence would feel empowered to speak out and seek help. He said that many men have recently committed suicide at home due to persistent frustration and abuse from their spouses, some of whom have even turned their children against them.

“There are men out there who are mentally ill not because of medical conditions, but because they are under siege in their own homes.  Men need guidance, counselling, and spiritual support to survive,” he stated.

In response to the growing crisis, Commissioner Tila announced plans to hold consultative forums specifically for men to share their experiences on camera.

“We have recorded shocking cases of men taking their own lives because of domestic abuse,” said Tila.

The move comes against the backdrop of rising GBV cases in Taita Taveta. A recent report by Taita Taveta Human Rights Watch recorded 158 cases in the past year alone, with defilement, incest, and sodomy topping the list.