Study proposes bureaus to help widows in Kenya remarry

Three researchers have proposed the formation of remarriage bureaus in Kisumu to help HIV positive widows find partners.

In their findings published in the first edition of Maseno University Journal, Mr Jeremiah Okuto-Agache, Mr Felix Kioli and Mr Erick Nyambedha said men who are willing to marry the widows would register themselves in the bureaus to help control the spread of the virus.

They said women whose husbands die of Aids, in a majority of the cases, remarry without disclosing their status. The researchers said remarriage bureaus have worked in countries such as India where widows are assisted to fulfil their emotional needs and fight poverty as well.

After interviewing 105 women whose husbands died of Aids in Kisumu’s Manyatta and Kondele estates, the three found that societal perceptions limited the widows’ chances of getting new partners.

“There is need to learn from other countries such as India, which have set up remarriage bureaus to help widows living with HIV and Aids,” they said.

The interviewed widows are aged between 15 and 49 and are receiving medical support in various health facilities in Kisumu, which was ranked third nationally with 19.3 per cent HIV prevalence last year.

The study findings show some widows develop sex desires when using anti-retroviral drugs and they need a regular partner instead of engaging in promiscuity.

UNWILLINGNESS OF MEN

The researchers said some widows cited the unwillingness of men to join HIV support groups as the biggest reason why it is difficult to find a partner to live with after the death of one’s husband.

“Some widows interviewed said they faced a big challenge when they attempted to form new relationships. Such widows claimed that men never attended support group meetings which is an ideal forum for meeting people,” the study said.

The researchers said a young widow living with HIV who is part of a support group said: “In my view, the issue of getting the right man to settle down with is a daunting task. The man I can consider to live with is one who knows me, a man who is HIV positive like me.

Getting such a man is difficult because most men are not known to have good medicare-seeking habits. Furthermore, a majority of them do not attend support group meetings, claiming that they are mainly led by women.”