•To fund all the external works of the house, NMS contributed Sh18 million.
•Information on the capital has continued to paint a grim picture as 3,716 sexual violence cases were recorded from January to June 2021
Image: SHEILA WANJIKU
In a bid to fight sexual gender-based violence in Nairobi, Governor Ann Kananu is establishing an interconnected reporting and referral system to guide survivors on where to seek help .
This will be done through the setting up of SGBV toll free line that victims can rely on.
“I promise to establish an interconnected reporting and referral system that will guide survivors on where to seek help in order to fight this animal,” she said.
Nairobi county government is striving to make major efforts to end SGBV by promoting awareness on causes, impact and consequences on the issue.
Information on the capital city has continued to paint a grim picture as 3,716 sexual violence cases were recorded from January to June 2021.
This was an increase compared to 3,450 cases recorded last year as per data from the Kenya Health Information System.
In 2019, at least 2,023 SGBV cases were reported being a decrease from 2,357 in 2018.
In 2016, 1,997 cases of sexual violence were recorded in Nairobi followed by 2,021 cases in 2017 which was a general election year.
Other proposed efforts by City Hall include establishing at least one safe house in each of the 17 sub-counties in Nairobi.
“The safe houses will guarantee the safety of victims while their cases are being prosecuted,ensuring budgetary allocation for the facilities as well as witness protection programme,” Kananu said.
Last week, City Hall signed an MoU with the NMS and the National Government Affirmative Action Fund for the construction of a Sh88 million safe house.
The county government contributed Sh20 million and donated land for the construction of the house.
NMS contributed Sh18 million while NGAAF contributed Sh50 million towards the construction.
The county also seeks to establish facilities and infrastructure necessary for SGBV responses and collection of aggregate information on prevention,occurrence and responses related to gender-based violence.
This also means that Nairobi will be fully equipped with essential services that will be available to victims as a matter of right unlike days before.
“In the past there was no dedicated body to address the complexities of SGBV: no obligation to provide extensive education; no safe houses or shelters; no specific budget; and basic healthcare services were inaccessible or unavailable to victims.”Kananu said.
She said that SGBV affects both gender but mostly women are disproportionately affected due to the direct correlation between women’s subordinate status in society and their greater susceptibility to violence.
“ I have seen a lot of women and girls suffer due to sexual and gender-based violence,"she said.
"It is always said that it’s better to have a divorced daughter than a dead daughter. Safe houses will aid to help our parents and siblings to speak out.”
According to the United Nations, over 40 per cent of women in Kenya are likely to face physical or SGBV in their lifetime and over one in five girls faces child marriage or FGM.
These violations have been worsened by humanitarian crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic and those related to electoral periods.
A report by FIDA dated February 10 states that there has been an increase in the number of SGBV cases.
The women lawyers said that 1,637 GBV cases had been reported between April last year and January.
According to the report released last month the cases reported on their toll-free line were over 176, an increase from 161 in December.
(Edited by Francis Wadegu)