Kisumu County records a higher prevalence of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) at 36%, surpassing the national average of 32%, this is according to government data.
Speaking Thursday, September 18 during the 42nd edition of Jukwaa la Usalama Mtaani, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the SGBV menace in the region remains relatively high.
“The other phenomenon here is gender-based violence. The national average is 32%. In this county it is 36%, and in this region it is relatively high,” he said.
The CS attributed the trend to repugnant practices such as ‘disco matanga’, wife inheritance, and broken family ties. He urged non-governmental organizations, religious institutions, and National Government Administrative Officers (chiefs and assistant chiefs) to intensify public awareness through barazas, while also rallying communities to support the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators.
“Part of the reason it is prevalent is because of repugnant practices, including disco matanga, wife inheritance, and issues related to broken family ties,” he emphasized.
Murkomen further directed the National Police Service to take stern action against perpetrators of SGBV, noting that the menace is widespread and requires a national focus, including the establishment of rescue centres across counties.
“Because this issue is widespread in many parts of the country, we are going to look at it with greater focus. We do not have rescue centres here, so it is important that the county government invests in such facilities to ensure these issues are addressed,” he added.
The CS’s remarks come a day after a minor was reportedly defiled, murdered, and had her private parts burnt with acid in Migori County, a heinous act that has shocked the country, even as the perpetrators remain at large.
In another incident in Koru, Muhoroni Sub-county, Kisumu County, a Form Three student was fatally attacked by his schoolmate—who is still at large—with a knife in his home, in full view of family members, in what is suspected to be a love triangle.
