Our children must be protected, MP Naisula decries rising GBV cases

Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda has condemned the alarming rise in gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide, calling for urgent action to protect women and children from abuse and killings.

Her remarks came just a day after Parliament suspended normal business to discuss the nationwide crisis.

Speaking in Maralal, Samburu County, during the flagging off of food supplies to 4,717 students in 24 public day secondary schools, Lesuuda said the wave of violence had become a national tragedy.

“As a nation, we should be judged by how we treat our children. If you’re fed up with your wife, just leave—but why harm innocent children? What have they done?” she asked, in reference to the recent killing of a six-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy in Yare, allegedly by their father after a domestic dispute.

The legislator warned that children remain the most vulnerable victims of GBV, citing the absence of children’s offices in many constituencies as a major barrier to timely protection against abuse, exploitation, and early marriages.

Following her appeal, the Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK) pledged to deploy a children’s officer in Samburu.

The organisation also launched a pilot food support initiative under its Emergency Education Support Programme to cushion vulnerable learners during the exam season.

“I want to acknowledge the good work by Child Welfare in protecting and promoting the welfare of children. Their support through feeding programmes is already boosting school retention and performance,” Lesuuda said.

She urging continued efforts to safeguard children from harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, early marriage, and beading.

Samburu is among the counties where cultural practices continue to fuel cases of GBV, posing a serious threat to girls’ education.

Through its feeding programme, CWSK has been complementing government efforts to retain learners in school, especially in hardship areas where many families cannot afford school meals.

CWSK Managing Trustee and CEO Irene Mureithi said the intervention, which is already running in constituencies such as Kiharu, Mukurweini, Kiambaa, Kipipiri, Mogotio, Keiyo South, Ndhiwa, and Nyando, is aimed at improving learning outcomes and supporting children under 18.

“You will see the impact of this food; retention rates and performance will definitely go up. We will continue supplying food even in the coming school terms,” she assured.

Parents, teachers, and students have welcomed the programme, saying it will cushion learners during exams while strengthening the fight against school dropouts.