Kenyans have been urged to offer moral and emotional support to men following a spike in cases of mental health that have taken a toll on them.
The call was made Saturday during a meeting organised by Nyandarua County Woman Rep Faith Gitau bringing together over 500 men from Simbara Village, Sobara Sub location, Ndaragwa Constituency.
The rare meeting was held against a backdrop of growing concerns in Kenya over the alarming rise in suicide cases.
The MP regretted that mental health issues among young and older men had been overlooked as many continued to suffer in silence. The obtaining situation she noted had forced men to abdicate their roles leading to existing gaps in many families.
“It has been established that many families where men were initially addicts and are now in the process of recovering undergo numerous challenges and stigma which negatively impact their fatherhood role triggering an emotional breakdown,” she said.
She emphasized that the family is the basic unit of society where men should be role models to inspire young men and generations.
However, this was not the case in most households characterised by the absence of a father which had a profound effect on the boychild particularly in Central Kenya who were engaging in destructive habits like crime, drug abuse and alcoholism.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Dr. Susan and Specialist in matters mental health and a lecturer at Kenya Methodist University who decried broken marriages which have contributed to an increase in the number of single mothers.
The government has consequently been challenged to mount awareness campaigns across the country to save the male population from mental disorders including stress, depression, and emotional problems.
By Lydia Mwangi