Nyeri County Government has brought on board various stakeholders to boost the war on Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
The CEC in charge of Youth, Gender and Social Services, Esther Ndung’u, said they opted to reach out to male leaders to join hands with women in the fight against the vice.
“We have called on men leaders from various sectors like the leaders of Matatu Saccos, bodaboda groups, religious leaders, market leaders, and other sectors in the society so that together, even as men, we fight to have zero tolerance against GBV in the county,” she said.
She spoke during the commemoration of 16 days of activism against GBV on women, girls, and men in Nyeri town on Friday.
The annual commemoration begins on November 25 and ends on December 10, which is also a human rights day.
“These are the 16 days where we sensitise people and create awareness on GBV to fight this vice,” she said.
“As you are aware, this is a vice that has been going on during this time of Covid-19. We have seen a lot of killings every day where a woman is killed or a girl is defiled.”
Ndung’u said prevalence in Nyeri is high and women still remain the most vulnerable.
She said in 2020, more than 500 teenage girls in Nyeri were impregnated.
The government had shut down learning institutions to check the disease spread.
The CEC said most of the perpetrators were people close to them saying the oldest perpetrator was a 96-year-old man in Tetu.
She said girls as young as four months, and the elderly, have been affected too.
Ndung'u added that the part of Nyeri where most cases were reported is the informal settlements.
“We have many cases only that people are not reporting and that is why today we are calling on people not to keep quiet but talk about it,” she said.
The county has prepared a gender policy that has already been presented to the cabinet for approval and will guide the county on how to deal with gender issues.
David Gitahi, a preacher with AIPCA church, said there is a need for religious leaders to speak out about it amongst their congregations.
He said the clergy needs to keep reminding people to do all they can to avoid GBV.
A GBV victim, Rhoda Wairimu who lost both hands and sustained injuries on the head following an attack by her husband, said she experienced a lot of stress after the incident.
She advised people not to take the law into their own hands but embrace dialogue when they have differences in marriage.
