• President Uhuru Kenyatta last week directed the National Crime Research Centre to move swiftly and investigate increasing cases of gender based violence and teenage pregnancy.
• Uhuru said his administration is concerned by increasing tension within homes across the country.
The National Crime Research Centre has said it is banking on women leaders in probing the escalating cases of gender-based violence.
CEO Gerald Wandera on Monday said the centre has undertaken to work closely with women including Public Service CS Margaret Kobia, Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (Kewopa) chairperson Gathoni Wamuchomba and the leadership of the National Gender and Equality Commission to prepare an advisory on appropriate remedial action.
Wandera was speaking during a stakeholders' meeting convened by Interior CS Fred Matiang'i.
The meeting was aimed at devising ways to reinforce a participatory approach towards gender violence.
The advisory once in place will be critical in initiating prosecution of all perpetrators of gender-based violence.
President Uhuru Kenyatta last week directed the National Crime Research Centre to move swiftly and investigate increasing cases of gender based violence and teenage pregnancy.
Uhuru said his administration is concerned by increasing tension within homes across the country.
He said cases of gender-based violence have risen, mental health issues have worsened, and instances of teenage pregnancy escalated.
“I appeal to social institutions, including the religious institutions, to exercise civic responsibility to bring these unfortunate trends to an end,” he said.
Uhuru said a family is a projection of the state and if the same family is under attack, the state is under attack.
“If the family is weak, the country is weak. Therefore, to fortify our protection of the family as the foundation of the state, I direct and order that the National Crime Research Centre probe the escalating cases of gender-based violence, the worrying trend of cases where the girl child has been disempowered and the violation of children’s rights,” he said.
Uhuru said the centre is directed to prepare an advisory to security agencies on remedial action within 30 days and initiate immediate prosecution of all violators.
Earlier on, Fida indicated they had received more child custody and maintenance cases compared to gender violence cases within the first three weeks of launching their hotline.
The gender-based violence hotline launched on April 15 had received 289 cases as of May 3 and is an intervention in response to the increasing number of gender violence cases in the country.
"The highest number of cases reported were gender-based violence cases at 81 and child custody and maintenance cases at 117," Fida said.
The nature of gender-based violence cases commonly reported is intimate partner violence, defilement and rape, especially in Nairobi and Kisumu.
Widow eviction and physical violence by in-laws are mostly prevalent in the Western region.