The Principal Secretary, State Department of Gender and Affirmative Action Ann Wang’ombe has reiterated her commitment of exploring various options available in an effort aimed at eradicating Gender Based Violence [GBV] in Kenya.
Her statement comes a few days after the viral excerpt of a clip showed the man dressed in civilian clothes along Thika Superhighway in a vehicle belonging to the Bybuss Trans was seen dragging the lady
passenger before loading a slap on her sending her to the ground.
According to Wang’ombe, subjecting women and girls to GBV is a gross violation of their fundamental human right, which has far reaching consequences on their physical, psychological and emotional well-being and the Government will deploy all possible mechanisms in place to bring this vice to an end.
“I wish to express my deep concern and condemnation about the incident as both retrogressive and unacceptable to anyone, not necessarily women. As a result of the incident, I have initiated collaboration with ByBuss Sacco owners and relevant law enforcement agents to bring the involved parties to book.The State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action is committed to supporting the elimination of all forms gender-based violence, particularly those targeting vulnerable groups including women and girls.We are also currently in discussions with the Ministry of Transport, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), and other pertinent bodies to expedite a thorough investigation into the matter. Ensuring justice is served and implementing measures to prevent future occurrences of violence against women are top priorities for the ministry” she said in a statement
In May this year, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) sought information regarding a matatu whose conductor was captured in a video dragging a passenger out of the vehicle in the presence of a police officer.
In the video, a female passenger was seen being forcefully pulled out from her seat in the bus by the tout as she pleaded with the latter to let her go.
In 2020,a Nairobi court found three men who were part of a bus crew guilty of robbery with violence and sexually assaulting a female passenger in a case that had attracted huge public interest
Bus driver Nicholas Chege Mwangi, his conductor Meshack Mburu Mwangi, and petrol station attendant Edward Ndung’u Kamau were described by Nairobi Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi as senseless and uncouth
Last week’s Nairobi-Thika Road incident took place within the ongoing global sixteen days of gender activism, a campaign dubbed “Activate Nairobi” where Wang’ombe noted that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are essential to eradicate poverty and build a global society based on sustainable development, social justice and human rights.
Statistics by The Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW-Kenya) reveals that over 3,762 cases of Gender-Based Violence were reported in 2022. Out of those cases, 2,985 cases of GBV were by women while 777 cases were by men.
Gender-based violence in Kenya remains a long-standing problem, persisting for years and intensifying vice that includes domestic violence, sexual abuse cases like rape and harmful cultural practices such as child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
KBC Digital
