Man Narrates How Single Female Friends Ended His 14-Year Marriage

A caller on Kenya’s Classic 105 FM has claimed that external influences, including feminism and single female companionship, led to the end of his 14-year marriage.

The man shared his story during a robust morning conversation on the station, typically hosted by Maina Kageni and Mwalimu King’ang’i.

Background to the 'Vibe'

The conversation on the popular morning show focused initially on listeners debating how one can recognise when the "vibe dies" in a relationship.

The host noted that the biggest enemy to marriages in Kenya was often referred to as women found in clubs.

One segment of the conversation featured a 31-year-old man who revealed his six-year marriage ended simply because "the vibe just died".

However, the tone deepened when the 14-year marriage caller phoned in, stating he was currently experiencing a similar breakdown.

Single Women Influenced His Wife

The caller explained that he had ended his 14-year marriage. He stated he believes "there's a lot of external influence" acting upon his former spouse.

He noted that his wife’s mother is a single mum. Furthermore, her immediate circle of friends, including women where she works, were also all single women.

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“The mom is a single mom. She was very close to her mom, whereshe works women are single women, a lot of them. Her circle of friends were all single women, and they used to go out together,” he stated.

These women would often go out together. The caller felt confident he knew the source of the problem, attributing it to these external factors.

He is currently awaiting a court ruling, scheduled for the 28th of this month, regarding permission to see his children. He confirmed that he is providing financial support to the best of his ability.

The Role of Empowerment

The caller linked his marital issues directly to broader societal concepts of independence and female empowerment.

He stated that whilst women should be empowered, and should strive for everything, he felt that the application of such beliefs was negatively "affecting marriages".

He also suggested that the movement was "spoiling the whole thing" and removing the "juiciness" from the marriage institution.

He made a sharp distinction regarding equality within marriage, asserting that women and men "are not equal" and "never will be equal". Instead, he argued that both sexes are supposed to be "servants" serving each other.

“In a real sense, we are not equal, we are not equal. We shall never be equal. We are all servants, and we are supposed to serve each other. You're spoiling the whole thing, you're taking away that juiciness from the marriage people for the purpose that you chose.”

Another contributor to the programme agreed that this emphasis on empowerment impacts relationships, noting that marriage is a social institution and people cannot do it alone.