BROKEN MEN

 

PHOTO CREDIT:PIXABAY



 I am a man (no doubt about that, since I have a fully grown beard and can pee while standing), but then, is that enough to make you a man? Definately not. Manhood is more than breaking your voice. It is more than the ability to sire a few off springs.

For the past few weeks, I have been a worried man. Worried about the Male Kingdom. The things 'we' men are doing are no longer a true depiction of manhood. I think we need to hold a serious male only conference(no ladies please, thank you very much). We can all go to Beijing if necessary, to re-define our manhood and maleness.

It all begins in my own county of Baringo, where fully grown men go about shooting women and children (not that it is acceptable to shoot men  either). I mean, I thought men were supposed to sort out their own issues, man to man. What happened to that arrangement where (in pokot for example) young men who disagreed were allowed to vent their anger on each other using sticks and under the close supervision of wise old men, who would sit under a tree, while sipping from a tin of 'busaa'? What happened to elders, sitting together and discussing the offending issue and reaching an amicable solution?

In the Kalenjin community for example, women and children don't own much in terms of cows and goats. Why then should any grown up man, open fire, killing or maiming them in the process? Why engage in such a taboo?

But it is not just in Baringo, where men are broken. Going by the news lately, there are so many examples of broken men. There is for example a young man in Murang'a, who is known to rob, rape and kill women. He even raped an old grandmother while at it. Is that a true depiction of manhood?

What about that thug in Nairobi who goes on a killing spree, raping victims in front of their families and killing most of the victims. What point is he trying to make? Is he trying to impose the burden of his manhood on other innocent people? What are his gains apart from the ill gotten wealth?

You see broken men everywhere. They beat up or kill their wives all the time, they idle in cities and towns for the whole day, asking for five shillings and sometimes oggling at unconcerned women, they get drunk and sleep in ditches. Some rape their own daughters and other people's daughters. A man even went a head to beat up his three year old step son to death (What exactly can a man quarrel about with a three year old, T.V channels?). What does such actions depict? Broken men.

There is also the tendency of most men nowadays to overindulge in alcohol. They lack the capacity to take alcohol like gentlemen and instead, go ahead to swim in illicit brew.

One time, I saw this young guy in Nairobi. I was at the city at around 2:00 am. Of course you all know that Nairobi rarely sleeps, thanks to a very active night life especially on Friday. The guy was seated (comfortably I suppose) in the middle of the road along Moi Avenue. Thankfully there were few vehicle at that hour, otherwise there was a high possibility of someone losing his life that night. The guy had no shoes on, he was totally drunk. He was surrounded by four of his totally drunk peers, urging him to put on his shoes so that they could leave, but the guy was not in a hurry. In fact, he wanted to take off his pair of trousers and shirt.

Is that what we have become as men? The skunk or eyesore of the society? I think it is high time, we men converge somewhere for some serious talk. Seriously, we need to 'beat Ambaka ' about this manhood business. We can converge anywhere. We can meet on the foot of Mount Kenya or somewhere in Nandi hills, we can go to Arabald (minus the guns), we can meet deep inside Menengai crater or Mount Longonot crater, we can hold court in Mashuuru in Kajiado county, we can meet below those hills in Taita Taveta or somewhere in Oloitoktok, we should not meet in Nairobi (too much distractions), instead we can go to Isebania in Kisii or Kerio Valley in Elgeyo Marakwet county or Kakamega forest. We seriously need to hold a very fruitful discussion on manhood and how to behave like men.

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