3 days Ago By KNA6
Principal Secretary State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action, Ms Anne Wang’ombe has urged the National Government Administration Officers to lead the fight against gender-based violence in the country. Speaking during a courtesy call to the Kisii County Commissioner’s office, PS Wang’ombe noted the administrators handle cases of domestic violence at the community level and can identify the root causes of such vices. “Our administrators, especially those engaged in Nyumba Kumi community policing, know where we have rampant cases of GBV and they can pass this information to the higher authorities for policy formulation and action,” she said.
Furthermore, the PS pointed out that any form of violence against women and girls was not only a violation of human rights but also negatively impacted them in society. Wang’ombe decried the increasing cases of GBV within Kisii County saying that some of the cases arose from retrogressive cultural practices. According to the PS, Kisii remains a hotspot in terms of the counties practicing female genital mutilation (FGM) and such vices lead to lifelong negative impacts among the girls.
As a result, she encouraged the community members to shun such retrogressive practices that continued to cause a lot of harm to women and girls. Moreover, Wang’ombe also called for continuous collaboration among the relevant government agencies and development partners to tackle GBV-related matters. Additionally, she pointed out the critical role that the clergy plays in addressing matters within the family unit, saying that the church leaders should be engaged in resolving domestic disputes.
“Let us encourage peaceful co-existence among family units because GBV also exists among men and occurs through physical violence and emotional abuse by women,” she added. In order to address the significant increase in femicide cases in the country, Wang’ombe urged the community members to take part in the upcoming public participation that seeks to address femicide and other forms of GBV. In January 2025, President Ruto appointed a 42-member taskforce to address the alarming rise in femicide cases in the country.
The team, led by former Chief Justice Nancy Baraza, has begun public participation forums to collect views on matters of GBV including femicide and is expected to recommend measures to strengthen the institutional, legal, and policy responses to the vices. On his part, Kisii Central Deputy County Commissioner Joseph Mwangi noted that gender-based violence was greatly contributing to suicide cases in the region. Mr.
Mwangi encouraged the community members to seek help from the local leaders or peers whenever they were facing any challenges within their families. In addition, the DCC said the sale of parcels of land without proper documentation was also contributing to cases of violence in the region. “Let us encourage our family members to embrace land succession so that when you buy a piece of land, we can confirm that the purchase followed the right procedures to avoid conflicts among families,” he concluded.
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