Women who can’t do household chores

It is very disheartening that the average Kenyan young lass, with all her degrees and MBA to boot, cannot do basic household chores like cooking, washing clothes or even utensils, as it will compromise her beauty, writes ALLAN OLINGO

The average Kenyan woman has become so obsessed with her beauty that she has forgotten the basic things like cooking and doing laundry once accustomed to her gender.

Loice Wanjiku one such woman. Recently she walked into a supermarket and bought disposable plates and cups so that she could avoid washing her utensils.

“I really do not want to spoil my nails washing plates,” she quips as she shows off her ‘fake’ nicely done finger nails.

Loice is not alone. Most women now are unable to do what the society had bestowed on them as their roles in the house, leaving men perplexed about their abilities to handle basic household chores.

When most supermarkets started stocking ready-made foods, bachelors celebrated but what they did not know is that women too were more than happy about it.

Microwave meals

“It is surprising that whenever I queue at a popular supermarket on Lang’ata Road, most of the clients are women buying ready-made food. Where did the women who could cook go to?” poses Peter, a clerk at a city law firm.

Peter is not alone. It is almost automatic that you will find the most prized kitchen appliance in the average Kenyan woman’s home is the microwave that she uses to warm this ‘ready to eat’ food instead of cooking for herself.

“Just the same way you assume that every guy who owns a car can change a flat tyre without help, is the same way we all assume that all women can cook. Many can’t cook and depend on the ready made meals,” says Peter.

It is true that times have changed and these are not the days when our grandmothers, mothers and aunts ensured our sisters practised cooking with zeal to avoid embarrasing the family.

Kennedy Otieno, a project manager, recently had a taste of the average Nairobi woman when she served him ready made food as opposed to cooking for him.

“I visited her over the weekend and she warmed fish fillet and meat balls on the microwave. This was served with rice she had prepared. I was disappointed especially because I wanted to date her. That was a fail and it changed my perception towards her,” says Kennedy.

Kennedy poses: “Show me a random young lass who can cook a good chicken stew or chapos for that matter and I will say a short prayer.”

It is not only cooking that these women can’t do but also the basic household chores like cleaning the house and clothes.

Mama Nguo

Most have employed the services of Mama Nguo who comes to wash clothes at a fee, a service that for a long time was reserved for bachelors.

“It is easier and cheaper to have my clothes washed than to do them myself,” says Faith Kalama, a marketing executive.

Faith says that she leaves her keys at the salon for Mama Nguo to clean the clothes, house and utensils.

“I am very busy at work and I don’t have the time to do all this. My fingers also react to the detergents, so I avoid washing the clothes. They will make my nails chip. She makes it easy for me,” says Faith.

Faith parts with an average of Sh300 to have her clothes washed, her house and utensils cleaned,  which is a small amount as compared to what she has ‘invested’ in her fingernails.

Expensive nails

Rose Kerubo, a salonist, says that women spend a lot of time and money on their nails and it would be futile if all these resources got wasted on the household chores.

“A basic pedicure will cost an average of Sh800. After you have spent money treating the nails to avoid chipping, why undo all the effort by washing clothes and the house. It is cheaper to use Mama Nguo,” she explains.

Rose says that women usually go to get great lengths to look good and impress.

“They go to the salon almost every weekend to have their hair and nails done. Plus the tweezing and waxing... the list is endless. It is expensive and after a cost benefit analysis, the Mama Nguo option wins,” Rose adds.

Walter Wafula says that he once dated a woman who could not wash clothes and this made him very uncomfortable.

“It was unsettling that every weekend she had the Mama Nguo come in and wash our clothes. This got me thinking about what would happen in marriage. Would she let the house girl do all the chores for her? Then what would she be doing?” Walter posed.

Behaviour change

He says that he cannot stomach that behaviour. Despite being a bachelor, he does his own laundry, cooking and other house chores as well.

Mercy Kirago runs her own PR/marketing company and is now almost one year in marriage. She uses the services of the Mama Nguo, who even cooks for her.

“We live in different towns with my husband and I go to work very early and come back not in good time to prepare late dinner.  I have a house keeper who comes during the day and does everything from cooking, cleaning the house and washing my clothes,” she enthuses.

Mercy says that she understands her husband’s reservations about the housegirl doing all these chores, but she says times have changed and men should also change their mentality about the perceived roles women should play.

Peter Githaiga, a software developer, says the majority of the new breed of women cook half-cooked ugali.

“It is because of the way these women socialised that makes them forget the culinary lessons they picked at home. It is not surprising that they have appetites for cooking fatty, less nutritious foods like  those they eat in restaurants,” says Githaiga.

Githaiga adds: “I can bet our mothers were the last generation of women who could cook real meals. Today’s women cannot even do a simple laundry, like ironing!  Nowadays to keep a woman, one must be prepared for unnecessary expensive lifestyles of Mama Nguo and take-away junk food like pizzas all week,” he moans