An Evaluation on Traditional Marriage Counsellors’ Perception on the Causes of Divorce in Kalonga and Luangwa Wards of Kabwe Urban District, Zambia

This paper aimed at evaluating the Traditional Marriage Counsellors’ perceptions on the causes of divorce in selected areas of Kabwe urban district, namely: Kalonga and Luangwa Wards. A descriptive research design was used where 52 participants who had worked as traditional marriage counsellors for a period of 5 years in Kalonga and Luangwa wards in Kabwe were derived using the Taro Yamane’s formula. However, only 20 candidates met the criteria after the employment of a combination of Purposive (judgmental) and Chain-referral (snowballing) sampling techniques in the selection of participants and saturation of data from the respondents. Data was collected using Semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The study established that the marriage curriculum given by Traditional Marriage Counsellors addressed the major needs and possible challenges of marriage life. It also found that it is not every married person that qualifies to be a Traditional Marriage Counsellors. Therefore, the elders of those intending to marry must do a thorough consultation on the Traditional Marriage Counsellors if there would be a proper formation. Also, contrary to notions that traditional teachings are parochial, Traditional Marriage Counsellors while holding on to human knowledge that is almost as old as when humans begun to live in societies, are refreshing their experiences and knowledge through practice and joining association as a way to respond to modern challenges of life. The study recommended that government through the Ministry of Education consider to incorporate indigenous culture into the curriculum.