Why young lovers kill

At 21, Kamande Wanjiru is a prime suspect in the murder of her boyfriend, 24-year-old Faridi Mohamed.

Within minutes of the news breaking, social media was awash with photos of Kamande, an attractive young woman with her life ahead of her, and the handsome Faridi who she allegedly murdered.

A fight reportedly broke out in the dead of the night between the two young lovers after Kamande found love messages in Faridi’s outbox allegedly sent to another woman.

She launched at him in a jealous rage, stabbing him a few times and injuring herself in the process.

That night on September 2015 in a house in Burburu, a life was lost and another is set to be wasted in jail, begging the question, Why do it, why not just leave if one feels aggrieved?

According to forensic psychologist Dr Oscar Githua, lack of partnership and communication coupled with efficient skills to handle conflict in relationships are to blame for the increased cases of lovers committing crimes of passion.

Speaking to Citizen TV’s Monday Special Show, Githua noted that in the past couples had other channels of communicating, which would involve calling in family and members of the society to help out.

He noted that when young people keep their relationships hidden, they cut off the support system that would offer them mentorship on how to navigate difficult situations, and thus suffer in silence.

He stated that statistics on crimes of passion were higher where men were concerned because men tend to have difficulty communicating, thus resulting in physical fights.

He added that whatever behavior young people have, they have borrowed it from their families and the society.

Speaking at the same time, Dr Ken Ouko, a sociologist, said that the definition of love is messed up; adding that the way love was perceived in the past has changed tremendously.

“In the old days you would meet at the market, exchange letters and keep reading them over and over, but these days with social media you are in touch every minute. That means if one gets distracted then the other becomes agitated,” he said.

Dr Ouko noted that the Kenyan woman has evolved faster than the Kenyan man and that brings about conflict because they have different outlooks on life.

According to the experts, effective communication is key to surviving conflict in a relationship.