The Government has launched a three-year initiative that aims to reduce incidents of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), following increasing cases of femicide in the country.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, says the ‘Safe Homes Safe Spaces’ Initiative is aimed at keeping SGBV survivors away from their alleged perpetrators.
He said the homes will serve to create a safer environment for all Kenyans, with special emphasis on women and children of Kenya.
Speaking on Monday in Kakamega during the launch that is expected to be replicated in all the 47 counties, the PCS, who is also acting as CS for Interior as well as Culture and Gender, said that the initiative aims to reduce incidents of sexual and Gender-Based Violence through awareness creation, advocacy and media campaigns, strategic support, and targeted legal and institutional reforms.
Mudavadi said the Country has a robust national legal and policy framework to prevent and combat sexual and Gender-based Violence, warning victims not to fall to tricks of negotiating such vices out of court.
Mudavadi said laws have gone beyond the physical offences and now provide for SGBV offences committed online.
“The Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act, 2018, was enacted to penalise perpetrators who use technology as a tool of violence,” he said.
“Perpetrators of femicide cannot play victims; they must be held accountable for their acts, and the Criminal Justice actors must execute their mandate without favour; this is not negotiable,” warned Mudavadi.
According to the PCS, the 2023 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey reveals that over 11 million women (20% of the population) have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner during their lifetime.
“Of these, 2.8 million experienced this violence in the past 12 months,” he said. “Other statistics by the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness -Kenya Report of 2022 indicate that out of 3,762 cases of GBV reported, women accounted for 2,985 of these cases.
He, however, observed that these figures represent reported cases only and that the actual number of GBV incidents is likely to be significantly higher due to underreporting, stigma, and fear of retaliation.
Mudavadi encouraged all victims of SGBV to report, citing the Victim Protection Act that provides for the use of witness protection boxes in court and concealment of the identity of vulnerable witnesses such as children and victims of sexual violence and that a witness can be placed under the Witness Protection Agency in the event that they are facing threats and intimidation.
He commended all 47 counties for having active GBV and FGM working groups, which play a crucial role in coordinating comprehensive responses to gender-based violence within their respective counties. This is highly commendable.
Mudavadi said the inclusion of the bodaboda riders in awareness creation is key as community change agents, saying their influence can reach the local community level.
“These riders will be trained to serve as champions for safety, as advocates of gender equality, and also as first-line responders in instances of GBV,” he added.
Mudavadi said the government is considering introducing a unit on gender parity in institutions of higher learning to ramp up sensitisation and education on the importance of equality between women and men and to challenge gender stereotypes.
The president’s advisor on women’s issues, Harriet Chiggai, said the Safe Homes Safe Spaces campaign aims to transform society by instilling safety as a core value in every home and the community as a whole.
Chiggai, who is the convener of the campaign, urged all sectors to collaborate in creating a Kenya that is free from femicide, especially given that the country recorded 97 femicide cases in the last year alone.
She, however, raised an alarm over rising cases of sodomy of young boys, noting that in Nairobi County alone, 1115 cases have been reported.
“We must pull together and have behavioural change in society,” she said.
She cautioned parents against abdicating their parental responsibilities, saying this contributed significantly to rising cases of abuse.
Speaking at the forum, Kakamega Governor, Fernandez Barasa, said the County has enacted the Sexual and Gender-Based Management Act 2024 to tackle the vice.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Mulele Ingonga, said that the Criminal Justice System often encounters insufficient safe spaces and safe homes for victims of SGBV crimes.
“This has affected the expeditious disposal of cases because of threats and intimidation of the victims during the trial process and even after the determination of the cases,” he added.
“In certain instances, the cases have had to be withdrawn or offenders acquitted for failure to present witnesses in court,” he added.
“The Safe Homes Safe Spaces initiative is a complementary initiative to ensure justice is served by enhancing the Criminal Justice System by taking care of the victim,” he said.
By George Kaiga
