The number of Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases reported in various health facilities in Elgeyo Marakwet County rose from 234 in 2023 to 322 in 2024.
The Officer in charge of Reproductive Health in the county, Jonathan Tanui, explained that a total of 266 Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) survivors were recorded last year compared to 203 in 2023, adding that 236 of the cases were reported within 72 hours of undergoing SGBV while 189 were reported within the same time in 2023.
Speaking during a GBV workshop in Iten, Tanui said despite the increase in numbers of the reported cases, he feared there were many more that went unreported, considering that those that reached health facilities were only those that required treatment.
He pointed to cases that came to light through the media, many of them days after they happened, explaining that failure to report immediately complicated the handling of the cases.
He also acknowledged that some were reported at police stations, with some also being reported too late for proper action.
Tanui cited cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), saying that despite being suspected to happen on a large scale in the county, they are not reported, adding there was a need to sensitise residents to report all cases of GBV not only to health facilities but also to other relevant arms of government.
GBV activists in the county, led by one Jackline Koech, called for the enactment of a GBV policy in the county, saying its lack has affected the fight against the rising cases of GBV.
Ms. Koech further said the lack of policy has made it impossible to get financial allocation from the county government, as there were no guidelines put in place for the same.
The activists said the rising reported cases of GBV were enough evidence for the county to have a policy which would provide a roadmap to be used by both the government and partners to combat GBV.
Ms. Koech said the GBV cases were more common among women athletes, who are suspected to be abused by their partners in relation to handling their high income from athletics.
She said the other groups of women suffering are the poor, who are forced to cling to their partners for support given the deeply entrenched traditional practices entrenching the superiority of men.
She also called on the judicial system to ensure that perpetrators are brought to book to ensure that survivors get justice, noting that this would also encourage reporting.
Noting that men were key in the fight against GBV, the activist said they were working with male-based organisations to fight the menace.
By Alice Wanjiru