Children of single mothers defy research findings to climb to the top of ladder

If you are man enough to have children, then you must be man enough to raise them.

This is a decades-old adage but which is more relevant to the modern day Kenyan man than it has ever been.

New research has established that nearly six in every 10 women in Kenya today are raising children on their own. All over the world, it has been suggested that children raised by single parents are more prone to developing psycho-social problems later in life.

In Kenya, more and more men are refusing to take responsibility for their children in a notorious trend informally referred to as “hit and run”.

But Ms Ann Njogu, the chair of Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), says no woman wants to raise children alone. A majority are forced by circumstances, she says.

“If a woman walks out of a marriage, then it is either abusive or unbearable,” says Ms Njogu.

But she warns against generalisations. “There are children raised by both parents who end up worse than those of single parents,” she points out. Indeed, the list of children raised by single mothers, who have ended up at the top of the food chain, is endless.

US President Barack Obama, for example, was raised single-handedly by his mother, Ann Dunham, after his father left them when he was aged three. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1995 before she could see her son become the most powerful man on earth.

The list also includes Thomas Jefferson, who lost his father when he was 14. His mother Jane Randolph Jefferson raised him and he became America’s third president.

George Washington’s father died when he was 11 years old, and his mother raised him and even lived long enough to witness her son become the first President of the United States.

The 44th US President, Bill Clinton, also never knew his father who died in a car accident in 1946, a few months before he was born.

Celebrated US musician Sean Combs aka P. Diddy was also raised by Janice Combs after his father was killed when he was two.

Vonetta Patton guided the career of young Usher for much of his life after his father left the family only one year after he was born.

The same applies to US rapper Kanye West who was raised singlehandedly by Vonetta West.

Locally, Maina Kageni, who hosts the most listened to breakfast show on Classic FM, was also raised by his mother.

Ms Njogu says women should not be judged for raising children alone since it is men who have refused to take responsibility. “Surely that criticism should be aimed at the men who are deserting the women,” she said.