Media, Financial Institutions blamed for increased cases of domestic violence.

Laikipia Women Rep. Catherine Waruguru and National Nyumba Kumi Chairman Joseph Kaguthi.

Two leaders have associated the escalating cases of domestic violence and murders to the media and financial institutions.

Speaking in separate forums, National Nyumba Kumi initiative Chairman Joseph Kaguthi and Laikipia Women Representative Catherine Wanjiku Waruguru pointed an accusing finger to the two institution for promoting activities that worsened the situation.

While addressing the press in Kenol Town, Murang’a County during a forum with clusters leaders, Kaguthi said that the tendency of the media being loose with the truth, selective use of facts and editorial bias to over-ride balance and objectivity tended to ‘glorify’ certain vices within the society thus worsening their situations.

He acknowledged the fact that over-emphasis of negative news created some silent interest in the same, leading to some people visualising certain ills as the only way out of trouble.

Citing last year’s torching of schools as an example, Kaguthi said that the manner in which media houses reported the incidents encouraged other students to follow suit. He appealed to the media houses to downplay negative publications for the good of the country and families.

“Sometimes it is advisable to tone down the publicity of negative news and whenever you report them, you do it in a manner that seems to castigate these wrongs instead of doing it as though you are helping the audience to make a tally on these incidents. This silently encourages some people to follow suit and be part of the statistics,” pointed out Kaguthi.

He encouraged the media to use their power well so as to influence the country positively, adding that the image of any country squarely depended on the quality of its media, thus the more reason the 4^th Estate needed to be objective in their reporting.

“The media has very great role in influencing the societal behaviour and this is the high time the government engaged them in molding the people into the country they want us to live in,” he said.

On her part, Laikipia Women Rep directed her blame to financial institutions that were extending unsustainable loans to women and women groups without involving their spouses. She reckoned that the collateral in most of these loans were family assets and household items, things that eventually caused friction within the family in cases of default.

“How else do you expect a man to react upon realising that his hard earned assets are being auctioned because of a loan he knows nothing about? These banks are exerting a lot of pressure on families due to the manner in which they are coercing women to borrow unviable loans that lead to default,” said Waruguru.

She encouraged couples to always have time to discuss financial decisions that were likely to have a great impact on the family before actually going ahead to implement their ideas.

“I will also request women not to put too much financial pressure on their spouses as this is another reason why some men are turning into beasts. Let’s be considerate in our demands. As for our men, let’s always seek alternative ways to solve our marital differences rather than turning to violence,” she advised.