I take this opportunity to thank the “James Wuod Maggero Committee” for having organized a wonderful memorial service for the late Mzee James Wuod Mageero. I also welcome Mr. Adiwa’s apology to Kenyans and everybody concerned over the issue. It is good that Mr. Adiwa has called for a debate over the matter.
What happened was an event which was disturbing and which had to be condemned. It left a lot of people wondering why sometimes we cannot remain decent and respectable people.
Kenyans and friends who attended the occasion know what transpired at the end of the party. What a shame! It is very sad and demeaning to realise that one of our respected gentleman and a person regarded with dignity could suddenly perform such a beastly act in front of all Kenyans and at a funeral gathering.
There is no room for condoning acts of violence against women especially by our Kenyan men. In no uncertain terms, I strongly condemn this archaic and barbaric behaviour.
I have never known anything as degrading as beating a human being, let alone a woman. What still beats my conscience is; why should a respectable person beat a woman so thoroughly like that and in front of everyone. Surely, there are better ways of solving misunderstandings.
I can’t lie, but we are all too familiar with incidents and stories of women who have been maimed, paralysed and even killed by their so called spouses. This interpersonal dynamic of violence on women has not only made us look cheap and vulnerable, but twice prompted us to contribute money to send the body of the victim home for burial.
The case of Juliet, the Kenyan lady who was murdered by her Swedish boyfriend, is still very fresh in our minds and we can’t condone any act that might subsequently lead to anything similar.
I urge all Kenyans and everybody else to come out strongly and condemn this animalistic act. We cannot sit back and assume the facade of normality about incidences of gender-based violence performed in public and or in private to override our manly composure. No we cannot accept that.
Okumu-Simon Morris
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