• Most of the time the violence has been perpetrated by close relatives and guardians.
• By Tuesday, the number of Covid-19 positive cases in Kenya was 216 after an additional eight cases were confirmed.
Image: EZEKIEL AMINGA
Cases of sexual and gender-based violence have tripled amid the war on the coronavirus, the government has said.
Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi said on Tuesday data from the Gender Violence Recovery Centre and the National Council on Administration of Justice has shown that in the past week there has been an increase in GBV and sexual violence cases.
Most of the time, the violence has been perpetrated by close relatives and guardians.
“During the Easter weekend, neighbours came to my house to report a case of domestic violence. There is a woman who was thoroughly beaten,” Mwangangi said.
She said the ministry is in communication within relevant departments to see how the problem can be addressed.
“We are calling on Kenyans to focus on fighting the virus and to handle disputes within the laid down civil structures, devoid of any violence,” the CAS said.
Meanwhile, the country has rolled out mass testing to pick out positive cases.
The process started with health workers at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
The mass testing will be rolled out with priority being given to quarantine centres, isolation facilities, hotels and hospitals.
Mwangangi said 12,000 testing kits will be deployed in phase one that will cover Nairobi, Mandera, Mombasa and Siaya counties.
“In Mombasa, we are deploying 1,000 testing kits to the Kenya Ports Authority, the same will happen in Mandera and Siaya counties.”
By Tuesday, the number of positive cases in Kenya had risen to 216 after an additional eight cases were confirmed.
The eight new cases were out of 694 samples that were tested in 24 hours.
Of the new cases, five are Kenyans while three are foreigners.
Six of the new cases are from Nairobi, one from Siaya and one from Nakuru.
The CAS announced one more person had been discharged from hospital bringing the total of recoveries in the country to 41.
“In the last few days, the numbers in different counties are on the rise. The virus is now domiciled along the length and breadth of our republic,” the CAS noted.
According to the data, Mombasa has 43 cases, 10 in Kilifi, six in Mandera, seven in Kiambu and five in Nakuru.
Laikipia, Kajiado, Murang’a, Uasin Gishu, Kakamega, Nyandarua, Siaya have two cases each. Homa Bay, Nyamira, Nyeri Vihiga and Kitui counties have one each.
“The reason for the breakdown is to be able to demonstrate to you Kenyans that some of our positive cases are actually Kenyans who had interactions from different members of the public across the country,” the CAS said.
Edited by A.N