Women Rights Advisor to the President, Harriette Chiggai has warned perpetrators of gender-based violence saying their days are numbered.
Speaking on Friday, Chiggai affirmed that the government will do everything within its power to nab the suspects.
She urged the judiciary to look into ways to expedite cases of intimate partner violence.
"We are standing here today as women leaders from all walks of life to not only condemn the violence meted upon women and girls but to also have an intimate conversation on how we can all participate in stopping the vice in the society," Chiggai said during a women leaders presser in Nairobi.
Chiggai said her office will continue engaging and working together with the judiciary to see how best survivors can be treated with dignity in courts and that these cases do not delay.
The President's Advisor reiterated the Kenya Kwanza administration's commitment to ending all forms of violence.
She, however, noted that this is not something that can be achieved by the efforts of one arm of government.
She pledged to work with women Members of Parliament to push for stiffer penalties to address intimate partner violence cases noting their misogynistic nature.
Chiggai condemned rising cases of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), and called for collective action by all stakeholders to end the vice.
She cautioned that victims of intimate partner violence should also not be condemned, regretting that they form statistics of women and girls who have suffered the fate of violence and did not deserve to die.
"I speak today not only as the Women’s Rights Advisor to the President but also as a woman, a mother and a Kenyan equally struggling to understand how our society has allowed such a decay that does not hold human life sacred and worse still that looks at women as objects to be abused," she regretted.
"I urge all of us to avoid victim blaming because no one deserves to be killed under any circumstance. One lost child is one too many for society."
Chiggai urged young girls to exercise caution on how and with whom they interact with on social platforms.
She further called on religious leaders to use their platforms to speak positively about women and help their congregations understand that women’s rights are also human rights.
Chiggai stated that the Government is committed to ensuring that the structures that respond and support survivors do not re-victimize them.
"I have seen comments from different quarters stating that our children, Scarlet Wahu, Rita Waeni and just yesterday (Thursday), a woman who was killed by her husband deserved to be killed! These and many other women and girls have suffered the fate of violence that we as a society have refused to address. My condolences to the families that are in pain today," she stated.
According to Chiggai, psychosocial support and safe spaces for women and children are a priority in her office.
She announced that her office will embark on county visits to engage women and children, and she is looking forward to hearing solutions from communities that will inform how best the government responds to women's issues in the country.
