Every tribe in Kenya has a specifically defined set of duties performed by different genders.
Kalenjin community is not an exception, it is governed by a set of customs and values which has barred men from performing certain duties reserved for women.
Men and women have specific roles in the habitats that they lived in.
These roles are complimentary and both are necessary for the continuation of the family and the community as a whole.
They include;
Collecting water or firewood
Kalenjin men are forbidden from either collecting water or firewood. It is a duty reserved for women and no man is allowed to do it on behalf of his wife.
Catherine Kerich, a mother of 3 said for the 10 years she has been in the marriage, her husband has never helped her any of the above duty even when she was pregnant.
"The customs barred our men from collecting water or firewood and we are forced to do the duty ourselves no matter the difficulty," she said.
Wash clothes
A man is believed to be controlled by her woman whenever he washes clothes for the family. Men ran away from this chore which has been reserved for women. A walk through a Kalenjin community depicts the custom, you'll never see a man washing clothes unless he is still a bachelor.
"I once asked my husband to wash our clothes but his reaction was harsh, he nearly even hit me. I have since learnt that it is our duty to wash family's clothes," said Sally, a woman married to the community.
Cook
Conservative Kalenjin men do not cook for the families. They say it is their duty to just put food to the table but not cooking.
Allan Korir said, "It will be awkward and against our customs to cook food for our family yet we have wives who should do so."
Korir added that he resorts to eating in restaurants to evade cooking.
Wash utensils or to look after children
This is also some of the duties the conservative Kalenjin men will not perform. Many of the Kalenjin men have employed house helps to assist their wives in those house duties for them not to perform any of them.
It is harsh to criticize ones' culture but it is clear from the Kalenjin customs that it is more burdensome for women to do all of the above duties alone. It is good for the Kalenjin elders to relook at the above customs so that men can help their wives with no intimidation or feel ashamed.
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