Men in Kumi flee their homes for fear of responsibilities

Sections of women in Kumi district are appealing to Government to help them restrain their men whom they are accusing of abandoning their responsibilities of providing for the children over other 'baren' women and widows. In a normal African setting, the father was considered vital in the upbringing of a child by providing for the family.

Stella Alungat, 30 a mother of six, four girls and two boys and a resident of Otaab in Kumi town said: "My husband has forced me to become a widow when he is still alive after he ran away from home leaving me alone with the responsibilities of providing for the children," "I'm not alone!Many women are crying, and that's why we are appealing to government to come to our rescue," said Alungat who is also six months pregnant Mary Goretty Adeit says the husbands have refused to help them.

"Men have become like night dancers, he only comes home when he wants to make love with you, then afterwards flees," She says men of nowadays are now fearing responsibilities.

"You will find a man leaving his home and goes to stay with a woman without children or with a widow who somehow has food in her home," Adeit said. Janet Akareut, also a resident of Otaaba said they are now forced to go to town to do casual labour of sorting groundnuts, yet the men are busy drinking and sleeping in bars. "

A man who leaves his wife to go and live with another woman makes such a woman vulnerable to STIs and HIV/AIDS, so government should look into that and help us," said Akareut.

Another woman, Stella Among, 28 a mother of four, three girls and one boy said: "Because you are raising food alone, children are now under feed," She said children raised by single parent sometimes end up getting spoilt. Meanwhile, James Okello said: "Some men flee their homes because there are women who when they get their money, they don't want to utilize that it is a man to be pulling his."