The art of modern wife beating

The art of modern wife beating

Written by: Timothy Makokha

If you think the wife beating era ended, then you must be very wrong according to retired teacher Mr. Mayeku, a resident of Bokoli area of Bungoma County. Mr. Mayeku has not only the teaching methodologies but he also has the wife beating methodology. It is said that his retirement from the teaching profession came with increased skills on wife beating that he exercises routinely on his wife thoroughly.

As a result, the wife has suffered dearly in the process. Her health has deteriorated as she spends most of her time along the way to and from her matrimonial home. Being a business woman she has made loses that are not of her making, as the husband does not give space to do her business of selling mandazi.

Paul, a choir member in the same church with Mr. Mayeku, say the old retired teacher is a temptation to church officials which they have to bear.

Contrary to his behavior, he calls himself a servant of God as he is a member of the friends’ church. He is even worse in church as his main concern is to oppose whatever that church leaders say.

He harasses his wife so rudely, I don’t know whether this behavior is as a result of male chauvinism or not. The wife sells mandazi at Bokoli market, but each moment this man would call her to see and monitor all her events.

In the evening, he would call several times to ensure she arrives in compound before a specified time limit. Failure to abide by the set time, she receives a beating like no other person is to be beaten. If a wife beating competition was to be organized during the December boxing day, he would definitely emerge the winner.

Last Sunday he beat his wife leaving her unconscious, after which he took her at the Bokoli health center for medication. What makes a woman endure all this in this marriage is her children, she would not think otherwise for fear of the life of her children.

Last year William Mayeku, one of his sons married a wife but on noticing what her father-in-law was doing to her mother-in-law, she took off out fear that there is a likelihood of the son taking after the father, for example like father like son.

He was once the chairperson of the bokoli friends’ church planning committee. He squandered the church money meant for bringing electricity to the church. This scandal caused the church council to remove him from that position and replace him with another person. He then became an ordinary back bencher in church but will always criticize whatever church leaders propose.