Widowhood and the coping strategies of the KDF widows

Widowhood among military spouses through combat death can be complicated due to multiple losses encountered by the widows after the death of the soldier. Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have been involved in combat operations in Somalia since 2011, where they have encountered different ambushes resulting in fatalities of soldiers. Following the death of Kenyan soldiers in Somalia, limited studies have been conducted to determine the strategies used by widows to cope with widowhood. Using the multi-dimensional grief theory, this study sought to establish the strategies used by the spouses of the soldiers who died in AMISOM. The study employed a mixed-method design where descriptive survey and phenomenological designs were used for quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The targeted population for the study was 100 widows of those soldiers who had died in AMISOM and were working in Nakuru and Uasin Gishu. The sample size was 50 widows. Stratified random sampling was used to select widows according to the ranks of their late husbands, and purposive sampling was used to ensure the selected widows are from the targeted population. The tools for data collection were questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, and focus group discussions. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data was analysed thematically. The findings of the research show that there are coping mechanisms in place through KDF, but they need to be enhanced in order to cater for the well-being of the widows. It is recommended that the government develop a comprehensive program to support families during deployments at different intervals, and that the program incorporate contingencies related to combat deployments or war. Family training should also encompass death and disability planning to ensure that families have a route when their kin dies.