How Kenya is Slowly introducing homicide culture

Reports of violence, grueling murders and suicides have dominated the news lately, with incidences escalating in magnitude each passing day. 

Just this week, a Kenya Defence Forces soldier in the Military Intelligence Department shot three people before turning the gun on himself in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu county, in an bizarre incident.

Kenyans also woke up to news of the hacking to death of chief Japhet Mayau Mukengu in Tharaka Nithi by residents over claims that he had killed a neighbor and thrown his body in River Thuci. 

The report was quickly followed by the murder of the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Joseph Kinyua who was leading the manhunt for Chief Mukengu killers.

But what is behind the recent spate of violent crime and what are the trigger factors of the perpetrators? Resorting to violence as a means of solving problems is a concept that has become widely accepted in the country, says Dr Atwoli Lukoye, Associate Professor of psychiatry and Moi University School of Medicine. 

“From caning children as a means of instilling discipline to politicians turning to crude ways of eliminating opponents, Kenyans have endorsed violence as a way of solving issues and a means of achieving their goals,” he says.

Simply put, the cases of violence witnessed in recent days are a manifestation of how the society perceives violence as a silver bullet to complicated life problems.

Experts say that Kenyans are increasingly feeling the pressure of high cost of living, unemployment, relationships and broken promises by politicians. Due to poor self-awareness and lack of life skills such as problem solving techniques, negotiation, interpersonal skills and self- control, people are projecting their anger and frustration through acts of violence.

Moral decadence has played a role in the escalating cases of violence. “Our values and beliefs are not practiced. The clergy, who ought to be offering leadership and being good role models, are not practising what they preach.

While religion ought to offer a moral compass for people, people in charge have betrayed their congregants leaving them confused,” says Prof Catherine Gachutha, a counselling psychologist.

Individuals with certain personality disorders such as antisocial personality disorder- characterised by love for inflicting pain on others and revelling in violence pose a high risk. Substance abuse impairs judgement and may lead people to make wrong decisions.

Putting up better mechanisms to cope with mental health in the country is one of the measures that Dr Atwoli recommends to addressing violence. Stringent rules should be put into place to ensure that violent people pay dearly for their actions.

Instead of being normalised, Atwoli suggests that violence be made taboo, with perpertrators ostracised from the community.