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“If your husband or lover did not surprise you on Valentine’s Day, most probably he joined his fellow men at this year’s Men’s conference”

This narrative has been peddled for a few years through social media platforms to a point that some women have come to believe it.

And for this year’s Valentine, men did not disappoint in hiding behind the men’s conference idea.

Twitter and Facebook were awash with the ‘proceedings’ at the conference which were completely accompanied by memes and edited photos and videos.

While adhering to the program that was released a few days ago, the men seem to have checked in to the conference facility earlier than the previous Valentine days.

Among the invited guests were the long-life chairperson Jackson Kibor. Some commentators drew a list of men perceived to be doing the billing for women and as a result, they were banned from attending. The image of a bulky man huffing and puffing as he ran was captioned the man was rushing to the conference after running late.

Equally funny was the image of a Situma who is said to have sneaked into the conference with the picture of his girlfriend. He was lashed and banned from the next conference.

Tinder Swindler

Simon Leviev, the infamous Tinder Swindler, was also expected to jet in from the UK and deliver the keynote address.

But despite the conference taking the centre stage in February every year, the sad part it has remained an imagination with no one coming forward to actualise it.

One would ask, why would someone sit down and come up with such an imagination.

Desiree Gomez, a relationship coach, says men are using the conference notion to seek and gain attention on a day that has been perceived as women’s day.

“Valentine’s day has been turned into a one-sided issue where women expect to receive and not give. On the other side, these men have gotten tired of always giving and that’s why they are seeking solace in this non-existing conference, “she said.

“The day has been over-commercialised yet there are so many things one can do for their partner. It is not a must for someone to take you for dinner, you can cook at home, “she added.

Gomez says it is high time men actualised the conference idea since it seems to be much needed by them. She says men might be joking about the meeting, but in reality, they need a safe space where they can talk about their challenges without being judged.

“Men suffer in silence. A real conference will actually save most of the men in our society” said Gomez.