Female lawmakers are set to launch a nationwide grassroots campaign to combat the rising cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and femicide in the country.
The initiative dubbed “Komesha Dhuluma”, has been spearheaded by the President William Ruto through an allocation of KSh100 million in coordination with the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action.
The campaign will involve 102 Members of Parliament, including 47 Woman Representatives, 28 MPs, 6 nominated National Assembly Members, 3 elected Senators, and 18 nominated Senators.
It is set to run for two and a half months and will culminate in the 2025 International Women’s Day in March in Parliament Buildings.
Speaking on Tuesday, January 14 during a consultative meeting ahead of the launch Kajiado County Woman representative Leah Sankaire who is Chairperson of the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) emphasized the importance of addressing GBV at its roots.
Each MP will lead community sensitization barazas and community outreach programmes unique to their constituencies to address the root cause of the GBV and femicide that will target men and women.
“This campaign is for our people at the grassroots level. Previous national campaigns have raised awareness, but we must now bring the message closer to the community,” Sankaire said.
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Counties with high rates of GBV may require more emergency response resources, while others might need programmes focusing on education, prevention, and community engagement.
Principal Secretary for Gender and Affirmative Action, Anne Wang’ombe, stressed the importance of engaging men and boys in the campaign.
“Gender-based violence is a societal issue. We need our men and boys to stand up and join us,” she said.
The initiative comes amid an alarming surge in femicide cases in the country, the latest case being murder of missing Moi University Graduate Lydia Tokesi whose body was found in a forest in Rongai, Kajiado County with the suspect being his boyfriend.
Civil society organisations are calling for femicide to be declared a national disaster. They have held protests in Nairobi calling for more actions to protect women.
The “Komesha Dhuluma”, initiative will bring together key stakeholders, including Kenya Women Senators Association (KEWOSA), Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), the Community Advocacy and Awareness (CRAWN) Trust, and the National Gender and Equality Commission
By Obegi Malack
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