A lobby group has urged the government to empower and permit chiefs and their assistants to organise counselling seminars for newlyweds during this coronavirus crisis.
Voice of Men and Children national chairman Bishop James Njenga on Saturday expressed concern that many young people are getting married but the church cannot reach out to counsel them because of the virus.
Njenga said domestic violence is on the rise in Kiambu county, especially among young couples, and blamed the problem on lack of counselling. He said since churches were closed in efforts to control Covid 19, some youths have never come back to prayer centres even after partial reopening was allowed.
"As church leaders, we are also very careful while visiting our members. We cannot keep going everywhere. We may get the disease or be accused of spreading it," the cleric said.
He appealed that during such events, church leaders or counsellors should be invited.
"The state needs to empower the administrators at the grassroots level since they nearly know everyone who lives in their areas of service. They also have arms like Nyumba Kumi and community policing members," he said.
Njenga spoke at his office in Limuru. He condemned an incident in which a woman cut off her one-year-old son's private parts in Kamandura village last month.
Njenga was accompanied by the lobby group's secretary Njagi wa Mbugua and treasurer Cyrus Koimburi. They hosted Rironi senior chief John Kamau during which they displayed some of the knives surrendered by people who had plotted to kill or injure their spouses.
Njagi said that when couples fight, children suffer. "During separation, children are taken to grandparents. This brings a bad picture of irresponsible parents," he said.
"We should ensure all people are responsible through adequate counselling."
Koimburi decried that alcohol is now the main thing bringing young people together after a lot of activities were banned to prevent huge gatherings that increase the risk of infection.
