By Gilbert Ochieng
A Busia Catholic priest has challenged men to devise ways and means of matching women whom he says have more life expectancy than men.
Father Collins Mambo, says this trend is worrisome needing urgent attention. He further warns that women will have no men to marry them.
Addressing mourners during the burial of a Busia fresh fish supplier, Fredrick Juma Marenya, 41, at Khubwira village in Bunyala Central Ward on Saturday, Fr. Mambo said the fact that many women were in attendance was a confirmation that their male counterparts are becoming an endangered species.
“There is no doubt that many men have opted to abandon their matrimonial responsibilities by absenting themselves from their homes, thus rendering their wives “widows,” he said.
He noted that some women have also cultivated the culture of drinking too much alcohol, thus leaving their children with no tender care, telling them to stop such culture.
The priest’s assertion of women’s long life expectancy came to pass with Nyanya Enjelika Anyuka Abatasa from Amoni village in Lukolis buried aged 103 years. Abatasa was the grandmother to Busia County Enforcement Officer, Scovia Amoit Ochebo.
Another Busia family went to bury their relative Nyanya Brigita Obwar Okoth (Nyager) on Saturday at Siwinga village, Ugenya, Siaya County. She died at the age of 95.
Mourners eulogized her as a staunch Catholic who portrayed virtues of love, kindness, patience, forgiveness, and humility, among other virtues of life.
A staunch Catholic, Mama Rose Wandera said that low life expectancy for men is because of keeping away from the kitchen. They starve in silence while women are always in the kitchen to ensure meals are on the table.
“Men after morning chores retreat to their drinking dens never to return until evening. When they find we have prepared kale (Sukuma) they sleep angry. How do you expect their life expectancy to surpass that of women? she asked.
Ms. Wandera said men also keep problems to themselves without revealing the tribulations they encounter including marital challenges. This could have been averted if they sought counseling to avoid developing stress and other challenges in life.
Mr Boniface Ochieng who last went to church in 2002 said he opted to do so because of constant demands for tithe and Shakahola-related challenges, adding that lack of food was also a contributing factor, urging men to embrace traditional foods and not meat.
Mr. Kepha Onamu said children, especially sons, also contribute to stress that lowers the life expectancy of their fathers; they tend to invest in their wives’ homes and forget their fathers who educated them.