{"id":110525,"date":"2025-02-17T09:04:23","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T09:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/02\/17\/first-ever-mens-conference-tackles-femicide-and-gbv-in-kenya-inspired-by-abel-mutuas-viral-video\/"},"modified":"2025-02-17T09:04:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T09:04:23","slug":"first-ever-mens-conference-tackles-femicide-and-gbv-in-kenya-inspired-by-abel-mutuas-viral-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/first-ever-mens-conference-tackles-femicide-and-gbv-in-kenya-inspired-by-abel-mutuas-viral-video\/","title":{"rendered":"First-Ever Men\u2019s Conference Tackles Femicide and GBV in Kenya, Inspired by Abel Mutua\u2019s Viral Video"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 17 \u2013 For years, the so-called Men\u2019s Conference<\/em> has been a running joke\u2014a mythical gathering men conveniently \u201cattended\u201d every Valentine\u2019s Day to escape romantic obligations. But on February 14, 2025, that changed.<\/p>\n

Instead of jokes, laughter and banter about avoiding flowers and dinner dates, men from all walks of life came together for something different\u2014an unfiltered conversation about gender-based violence (GBV). The shift wasn\u2019t accidental. It started with a viral video.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, award-winning actor and filmmaker Abel Mutua<\/strong> posed a simple but loaded question online:<\/p>\n

\u201cAssuming morio wako ama hata bro wako pale nyumbani anakosea, utamuambia outrightly, \u2018Buda, manze rada chafu\u2026 unachoma\u2019?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

(If your friend or even your brother at home is in the wrong, would you call him out and say, \u2018Bro, that\u2019s not okay\u2026 You\u2019re out of line\u2019?\u201d<\/em>)<\/p>\n

The response was overwhelming. Men admitted they had stayed silent when they saw their friends mistreating women. Some feared losing friendships, while others simply didn\u2019t know how to intervene. But one thing was clear\u2014silence was costing lives.<\/p>\n

Then came the statistics: 170 reported femicide cases in 2024 alone. The perpetrators? Mostly men. Husbands. Boyfriends. Partners.<\/p>\n

Kenya was facing a crisis, and Abel listened. Instead of letting the conversation fade away, he took action.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Influencer Abel Mutua with attendees at the groundbreaking Men\u2019s Conference held on February 14, 2025, where men from various fields gathered to address femicide and gender-based violence in Kenya.<\/p>\n

The Men\u2019s Conference\u2014With a Difference<\/strong><\/h3>\n

What had once been a meme became a movement. Abel, alongside award-winning director Isaya Evans, who tragically lost his colleague Lillian to femicide in November 2023, organized the first-ever real Men\u2019s Conference<\/em> on Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

The room wasn\u2019t filled with jokes about dodging love letters. Instead, it was packed with men from different professions\u2014influencers like Mike Muchiri, Nick Kwach, Presenter Ali, The Real Chiche, J Segera; businessmen, actors, professionals, pastors, fathers, and husbands\u2014all gathered for one reason: to discuss the role men play in ending violence against women.<\/p>\n

The conference tackled a harsh but undeniable truth\u2014femicide doesn\u2019t start with murder. It begins with unchecked behaviour: sexist jokes, verbal abuse, emotional manipulation, and physical violence that goes unchallenged.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, no one in the room believed violence against women was acceptable. Yet, nearly every man admitted to ignoring red flags from their peers.<\/p>\n

When asked \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/em> the answers were the same:<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to seem disrespectful.\u201d<\/em>
\u201cI thought it wasn\u2019t my business.\u201d<\/em>
\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure what to say.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

But as the conversation deepened, the reality hit home. Their silence wasn\u2019t neutral\u2014it was dangerous.<\/p>\n

Safisha Rada\u2014A New Code for Accountability<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By the end of the discussion, one phrase emerged as a turning point: Safisha Rada<\/strong>\u2014Swahili for \u201cClean Up Your Act.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It became a new way for men to hold each other accountable without hostility. A way to say, \u201cBro, that\u2019s not okay,\u201d<\/em> without turning it into an attack. A way to challenge their friends without pushing them away.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Influencer Abel Mutua with attendees at the groundbreaking Men\u2019s Conference held on February 14, 2025, where men from various fields gathered to address femicide and gender-based violence in Kenya.<\/p>\n

For Abel, this was more than just a conference. It was personal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a cause close to my heart. Last year, I hosted Africa\u2019s largest movie premiere with my film Makosa Ni Yangu as a wake-up call for society. Then, a simple video I posted about holding friends accountable went viral, showing just how much men need a space to have real, honest conversations,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n

*\u201dThat\u2019s why we held the first-ever real Men\u2019s Conference on Valentine\u2019s Day. It was real, it was raw, and it was necessary. Men from all walks of life showed up, engaged in unfiltered conversations, and acknowledged our role in ending GBV.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t about blaming men\u2014it\u2019s about challenging men to be better.\u201d*<\/p>\n

Redefining Brotherhood<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The conversation didn\u2019t end with Abel. The message resonated far beyond the room, drawing support from influential figures across Kenya.<\/p>\n

Ferdinand Omanyala, Africa\u2019s fastest man, drew parallels between sports and life:
\u201cIn athletics, accountability is everything. You can\u2019t achieve greatness without holding yourself and your teammates to the highest standards. The same applies in life\u2014men must stop excusing bad behavior.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Stephen Letoo, Citizen TV\u2019s self-styled Men\u2019s Conference Chairman<\/em>, dropped the jokes and got serious:
\u201cIt\u2019s time men stood up against vices committed by their peers. We must face each other and tell each other the truth. Let\u2019s start talking. Let\u2019s always speak out.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

John-Allan Namu, an award-winning investigative journalist, emphasized the power of media:
\u201cMen in media have a duty to shape the conversation on masculinity, respect, and accountability. Our platforms must amplify the right messages and challenge toxic narratives.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Martin Kariuki, presenter on Capital FM\u2019s The Jam<\/em>, challenged men to stop fearing uncomfortable conversations:
\u201cTusiogopane (Let\u2019s not fear each other). Let\u2019s tell each other the truth openly when one of us goes wrong. Holding each other accountable is the only way forward.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A Movement, Not Just a Moment<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For Abel and Isaya, this is just the beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve started a conversation, but it won\u2019t end here. This is a movement. It\u2019s time men took responsibility\u2014not just in words, but in actions,\u201d<\/em> Abel said.<\/p>\n

And so, on a day traditionally filled with flowers and chocolates, something different happened.<\/p>\n

Men gathered, not to escape responsibility, but to embrace it. To acknowledge that silence is complicity. To commit to change.<\/p>\n

For the first time, Men\u2019s Conference<\/em> wasn\u2019t about avoiding Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

It was about showing up\u2014for women, for themselves, and for a future where accountability is not the exception, but the norm.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 17 \u2013 For years, the so-called Men\u2019s Conference has been a running joke\u2014a mythical gathering men conveniently \u201cattended\u201d every Valentine\u2019s Day to escape romantic obligations. But on February 14, 2025, that changed. Instead of jokes, laughter and banter about avoiding flowers and dinner dates, men from all walks of life came together […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110525\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}