By Mary Karau Ngethe
Father’s Day is celebrated internationally, though not on the same date in every country.
In many countries, including Kenya, United States, Canada, The United Kingdom, and India, it is celebrated on the third Sunday of June.
Beginning of Father’s Day
Advocacy work to start celebrating Fathers was done by a lady from Spokane, USA, called Sonora. Sonora was inspired to start Father’s Day after listening to a sermon on Mothers Day. She felt a need to celebrate her dad, who raised her and her siblings upon the death of her mum. The father sacrificed to be a single parent to give them all. Her dad was called William Jackson Smart. She said there are some fathers who abandon their children, or who are toxic to their children, and there are other fathers who deserve to be celebrated. The first Father’s Day was held in Spokane in 1910.
It is now marked internationally.
We join other Kenyans in celebrating Father’s Day on Sunday 15th June 2025, and indeed acknowledge that there are many Kenyan fathers, living or gone to be with the Lord in heaven, who qualify to be celebrated. Happy Father’s Day To All Deserving Kenyan Fathers.
We urge Kenyans to specifically celebrate Meshack Ojwang, father to Mwalimu Albert Ojwang, the blogger who was murdered while fighting for the good of this country. We also celebrate fathers of Genzees who died on 25th June 2024 while pushing for better governance of our motherland.
Men’s Health Month
To coincide with Father’s Day, the month of June, was declared a Men’s Health Month. This is the period when the world recognize men and boys health challenges The month marks a period when the world focuses on education, awareness creation and action on men’s and boys’ health challenges. The aim is to raise awareness of preventable health issues and encourage early detection and treatment in men and boys. Mental health of boys and men is especially given a major focus in the health advocacy agenda
Men’s and Boys’ health challenges in Kenya
Men have a 41% higher mortality rate than women, and are more likely to die from 8 of the top 10 causes of death. Boys and girls are born in equal ratio, but more boys/men die compared to girls/women in both childhood and adulthood. (Article on social media by Illinois Department of Central Management Services-12, June 2025). There is a strong believe that men are less than women in Kenya among all communities. This could be true, and more desk review is needed to agree or disagree. Literature reveals “In 2024, the ratio of boys born to girls born is 105 boys to 100 girls. For the 10th year, more boys are born compared to girls in Kenya, a trend that may affect the social stability in Kenya. According to the Economic Health Survey 2025 released on Tuesday May 6, 2025, 570, 807 boys were born compared to 539,706 girls born in 2024, resulting with a ratio of 106 boys to 100 girls. (Daily Nation Newspaper May 7, 2025)”
“Where are the boys/men when girls need them for marriage”?
Men’s and boys’ challenges are often overlooked
Men die 6 years earlier than women due to health challenges; Prostrate cancer and testicular cancer receive far less attention compared to women concerns; Suicide rate among men are significantly much higher, yet community mental health initiatives often fail to acknowledge interventions that resonate with men especially in Africa; Men usually commit crimes, and therefore prisons have far larger numbers of men than women; Men are more vulnerable to activities that expose them to death like watchmen, drinking and driving while drunk, gangs that are shot by law enforcing agents. There are many challenges faced by men and boys that lead to men dying early as reported in the Kenya Population and Housing Census (KPHC-2019) Census report of 2019 in Kenya,
“After the age of 40 or 50, sex ratios become noticeably more feminine. For every 100 women of a given age, there are about 90 men in their 60s, 65 men in their 80s, and 30 men by the age of 100. The life expectancy at birth of the Kenyan population stood at 60.6 years for males and 66.5 years for females”
Conflicts in love relationships
Men and boys tend to find themselves in relationship-conflicts with their girlfriends and wives, which can lead to intense stress or depression. Their homes are no longer safe. To force safety they can become violent leading to domestic violence. Our society has taught boys and men that they should always have money to provide for their families. When money is scarce, they tend to hate themselves, damaging their self-esteem, and challenging their role in the family. When men fail to deliver, the women become hostile with their weapon, their tongue, hitting their men with harsh demeaning words, and the problems escalate to very high levels.
Men are not expected to show their emotions. It is viewed as weakness for a man to talk about his personal challenges, which can lead to depression. Addressing men’s and boys’ well-being is no longer optional, but essential for building healthier and cohesive families and communities
This article was meant to create awareness as one of the ways of addressing men’s and boys’ health and related challenges. Read and share information, and take action where possible.
Mary Karau Ngethe is the Programs Director Central Kenya Development Network (CKDN). She can reached on; marykaraungethe@gmail.com
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