Female parliamentarians on Monday, January 13, held a consultative meeting ahead of launching a nationwide campaign dubbed “Komesha Dhuluma” to spread awareness against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and femicide.
The campaign will be backed by the allocation of Ksh100 million by President William Ruto late last year to fight the vice.
It will involve 102 Members of Parliament drawn from the two houses including; 47 women representatives, 28 constituency MPs, 6 nominated MPs, 3 elected Senators, and 18 nominated Senators.
The campaign will work by having MPs lead sensitisation barazas and community outreach programmes specific to the needs of each constituency.
The President’s Women's Rights Advisor Harriet Chaggai's remarks at the meeting backed this assertion that each region needed different approaches to solve the problem.
“Counties with high rates of GBV may require more emergency response resources, while others might need programs focusing on education, prevention, and community engagement,” the message read.
Speaking at the meeting, Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association (KEWOPA) chair Leah Sankaire said the campaign would seek to determine the root cause of GBV at the grassroots level and the education would target both 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," she stated.
Other female-led stakeholders will also be closely involved in this campaign including; the Kenya Women Senators Association (KEWOSA) and the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
The Center for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), the Community Advocacy and Awareness (CRAWN) Trust, and the National Gender and Equality Commission will also be involved.
Following a report that 97 women were killed in just three months last year, several government officials, including the President leapt into action to contain the matter.
In his November 20 address following a consultative meeting with women government officials, the President vowed to combat GBV and femicide, allocating Ksh100 million to the cause.
"I urge every Kenyan to join in this movement to speak out, educate, and stand united against cases of femicide. Our communities need education on signs and causes of abuse and the resources available to victims," President Ruto told Kenyans.
"Awareness is a crucial step to prevention, we must increase awareness on the availability of such campaigns where victims can get refuge through toll-free platforms such as GBV 1195, Child Help 116, and the DCI reporting anonymous number 0800722203."
