Human rights are universal. They apply to all persons equally irrespective of where they are or their backgrounds. Religious, ethnic, gender or any other differences should never be the basis of denying an individual or group of persons their basic and fundamental rights.
It is wrong to imagine and apply freedoms based on where an individual is or where they reside. Be it urban or rural, each person has a constitutional obligation to learn, defend and promote the rights of their own and those of others.
Unfortunately, the situation on the ground in Kenya is completely different. Rights and responsibilities are applied selectively with those in rural communities ignored or not given fair access to constitutional guarantees.
Since Independence, those placed in positions of authority, including chiefs, have misused their powers and flagrantly violated the rights of the poor and vulnerable. They have become a law unto themselves, totally ignoring the rule of law and legal operating procedures.
In rural Coast, young girls are being defiled and boys sodomised. In some cases, those responsible for the violations are parents themselves. In Kwale, for example, the number of early pregnancies is the highest in the country.
Yet, despite the clear and worrying statistics, little is being done to reverse the trend. Local authorities as well as police and county officials have resigned to accepting the violations and even referring victims to local kangaroo courts. This turns what is crime into common practice.
In Tana River and Marsabit, female genital mutilation continues unabated. For fear of being arrested when committing FGM to older children, communities are resorting to doing it to infants who lack the ability to complain or even comprehend what is being done to them.
The worst part of all this is that it is women, and particularly mothers, who are behind the practice, forcing their daughters to undergo FGM. The authorities turn a blind eye pretending not to know what is happening.
In counties such as Murang’a and Nakuru, young men are wasting away on illicit killer brews. Such brews are usually laced with poisonous substances, killing those who consume them. This was the case a few days ago in Bahati, Nakuru county, where 10 died.
According to reports, the authorities in rural communities normally receive bribes in order to allow illicit liquor to thrive. Yet when tragedy strikes, they pretend to carry out raids, which in many cases come too little too late.
Domestic violence and wife/husband battering has persisted in almost all rural communities across the country. In fact, in certain counties such as Migori and Kakamega, it is so ingrained in local culture that it is believed a man who does not beat his wife does not love her.
It is reported that women from time to time would deliberately make mistakes to give their husbands 'reason' to batter them. In most cases, the violence is done in full knowledge of the authorities who even support it.
Worst of all is killings. In several rural communities, killings are considered rituals and necessary to “cleanse”. In places such as Kilifi and Kisii, the aged have become targets of their young ones who accuse them of engaging in witchcraft while in fact, they are after their wealth, including land.
Many old men and women have become victims of lynching and being burnt alive. However, the authorities only document these cases and issue empty threats. Little or nothing is done to stop the killings.
It must be clear to all and sundry that rights must be guaranteed equally to all persons irrespective of where they are. As human beings with equal freedoms, we all deserve our dignity and respect. For the state and those placed in positions of authority, particularly in rural areas, it behoves them to do justice and safeguard the interests of all.
Those in rural areas live under the same laws as those in urban centres. Protection from abuses must be applied in the same way for all without fear or favour.
