A disturbing new report from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reveals that a significant percentage of men and women aged 15–49 believe a husband is justified in beating his wife under certain circumstances.
The findings highlight how deeply ingrained harmful gender norms remain in society.
According to the data, 33.5% of women and 22.5% of men agree that infidelity warrants physical violence.
Other reasons cited include refusing to cook (19.3% of women, 11.2% of men), neglecting children (23.5% of women, 18.1% of men), and even “burning food.”
Shockingly, 42.6% of women and 34.7% of men believe a husband is justified in beating his wife for any of the listed reasons.
These numbers expose the alarming normalisation of domestic violence and the unequal power dynamics that silence women
The survey underscores the urgent need for awareness campaigns, legal protection, and cultural shifts to dismantle the dangerous belief that violence is ever an acceptable form of discipline in marriage.
