Most gender-based violence incidents in Ugunja sub county targeted women, area deputy officer commanding police division, Sabina Kerubo has said.
Kerubo said that eleven cases targeting women were reported in 2018 while only one incident against a man was recorded during the same period.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting on gender-based violence held at Madeya VIP hotel in Ugunja, the police boss however said that in 2017, the number of GBV cases against both men and women stood at three and five respectively.
The meeting was attended by among others Ugunja deputy county commissioner Peter Nduti and the officer commanding police division Griffinalis Barasa.
She said that five cases of rape were reported in 2017, with the number rising to seven in 2018.
Kerubo said that cases of defilement were on the rise in the sub county, where 21 cases have so far been reported since the beginning of the year. This is compared to five that were reported in 2017.
The deputy OCPD called on parents and guardians of the victims of sexual offences to ensure they report as fast as possible for investigations to start.
“Some of the victims report after more than 72 hours, making it difficult to nail the perpetrators,” she said.
Kerubo said the law enforcement officers were alert and would not relent in the fight against GBV and sexual offences in the area, adding that those behind such acts would be subjected to the full force of the law.
By Philip Onyango