Irene Magut on the road
walked at Rural Women
Page 7
Training manual to scale
up PIK advocacy in war
against GBV Page 9
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE BY PEACE INITIATIVE KENYA (PIK) PROJECT
How woman-to-woman
marriages are escalating
GBV Page 17
ISSUE 12 | 2015
Combined
efforts key to
ending GBV
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
About Peace Initiative Kenya
P
Editorial Team
eace Initiative Kenya (PIK) is a threeyear USAID funded project working
towards the prevention of and response
to gender based violence (GBV) in Kenya. The
project aims at supporting prevention of Gender
Based Violence and improving the current GBV
response framework at the national and county
levels.
The PIK project is implemented by the
International Rescue Committee (IRC),
together with local partners; Nyabende
Support Programme; Rural Aids Prevention
and Development Organisation (RAPADO)
and Amjutine Children Care and Protection
Centre (AMJUTINE) Rural Women’s Peace
Link (RWPL), Sauti Ya Wanawake – Pwani,
Health Care Assistance Kenya (HAK) through
GBV hotline 1195 and African Woman and
Child Feature Service (AWC).
The project covers nine counties: Taita Taveta,
Kwale, Mombasa, Kisumu, Migori, Kisii, Uasin
Gishu, Nandi and Trans Nzoia to improve
GBV prevention, as well as increase access and
utilization of GBV services through community
outreach and other awareness raising efforts.
At the national level, the PIK project works
closely with the National Gender and Equality
Commission (NGEC), Ministry of Devolution
and Planning, specifically the Directorate of
Gender, Anti-Female Genital Mutilation
(FGM) Board and other stakeholders to
support the Government in creating an enabling
environment for coordination of GBV prevention
and service provision.
IRC Team
Jebiwot Sumbeiywo
Joyce Muchena
Ruth Oywaya
Valine Moraa
Project Objectives:
• Strengthen county engagement in
preventing and responding to GBV
• Increase access and utilization of GBV
services through community outreach and
other awareness raising efforts
Contact Information
International Rescue Committee
Regent Court, along Argwings
Kodhek Road
Contact the Chief of Party
Phone: +254 726082140
Email: PIK@rescue.org
Facebook: GBV Service Providers
Africa Woman and Child Feature Service
Nairobi Baptist Church Court, Green
Lane,
off Ngong Road Nairobi
Phone: +254 20 2720554, +254 722 209510
Email: info@awcfs.org
Website: www.awcfs.org
Twitter: @AWCFS
Facebook: African Woman & Child
Page 4
IRC offers technical
support for
establishment of
rescue centre for GBV
survivors
Page 5
Media agenda in PIK
project giving SGBV
visibility to a larger
audience
Page 7
Irene Magut on the
road walked at Rural
Women
Page 9
Training manual to
scale up PIK advocacy
in war against GBV
Page 11
RAPADO organises
men to raise
engagement in GBV
prevention
AWC Team
SUB EDITOR:
EXECUTIVE Director:
Odhiambo Orlale
Miller Omega
George Ngesa
Arthur Okwemba
CONTRIBUTORS
DESIGN & printing:
Managing Editor:
Valine Moraa
Jane Godia
Odhiambo Orlale
Christine Ogutu
Henry Kahara
Vieve Omnimedia
Jane Godia
Programme Manager:
Ruth Omukhango
This production is made possible by the generous
support of the American people through
the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID). The contents do not
necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the
United States Government.
2
Project Goal:
• To improve national and countylevel gender-based violence (GBV)
service delivery systems and policy
implementation.
Contents
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE
COMMITTEE
AFRICAN WOMAN AND CHILD FEATURE
ISSUE 12
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Sustainable GBV Programming: IRC and the
Kisii Governor’s Spouse hold Consultations
By Valine Moraa
A
mong
its
key
stakeholders, Peace
Initiative
Kenya
(PIK) project has been
working with county women
representatives and women
leaders, as well as other county
government officials to lobby for
establishment of Gender Based
Violence (GBV) structures,
allocation of resources for
improved GBV services and
awareness raising on GBV crisis
at national and county levels.
Since its inception in 2012,
PIK project activities have
focused on peace messaging
and mobilizing communities to
enhance their preparedness and
capacity to prevent and respond
to Gender Based Violence
(GBV) in Kenya.
It is in this regard that
the program-staff from
International
Rescue
Committee (IRC), the lead
organisation in the PIK
project had a meeting with
Kisii County Governor’s wife,
Elizabeth Ongwae and County
Government Director of Youth
Douglas Arege to discuss
sustainability and continuity of
the partnership that the project
has with their respective offices.
The meeting which was
held in Nairobi addressed the
need for coordination as well as
linking of PIK project networks
with the office of the Governor’s
wife. It was noted during the
discussions, that coordination
by various stakeholders within
national and county levels in
engagements that address issues
of GBV, including the planning
and organizing of national and
international events created a
huge impact on GBV related
work.
It’s for this reason that the
ISSUE 12
Jebiwott Sumbeiywo, Chief of Party PIk project, joined by Elizabeth Ongwae, wife to Kisii County Governor,
holding deliberations at IRC offices. PHOTO: VALINE MORAA
PIK project team from IRC
advised and agreed to facilitate
a linkage that will aid both office
of the County Governor’s wife
and County Government
Director of Youth to spearhead
formation of a GBV Working
Group in Kisii County.
Commemorated
It was agreed that they would
do this in conjunction with the
national government office of
Director of Youth and Gender
based at the county.
It was noted that all these
offices have varied supporting
aspects such as technical and
funds, which will contribute to
the formation of the working
group.
Another key coordination
that PIK project has been
taking part in and supporting
at both national and county
level is the 16 Days of Activism
against Gender Based Violence,
which is commemorated
annually from November 25
to December 10.
The PIK project team
suggested that office of the
Governor’s wife can coordinate
the planning of this event in
Kisii County in partnership
with the National Government
office of Director of Youth
and Gender among other
stakeholders.
PIK offered to link the two
offices represented with the
National Gender and Equality
Commission (NGEC) as the
commission which is running
a national campaign against
Gender Based Violence titled
Keeping the Promise — End
GBV, which will be launched
in all the 47 counties of Kenya.
Having GBV activities already
being implemented on the
ground in Kisii County, will aid
the Commission in building on
their work.
The meeting with Ongwae,
also discussed on the need to
sensitize the public on new
and existing laws and policies
on Gender Based Violence.
Most often, people who have
been caught on the wrong side
of the law when it comes to
GBV are usually astounded
that they are actually breaking
the law.This is common among
those who practice Female
Genital Mutilation (FGM) or
physically assault their partners.
An opportunity identified
in the discussion was that
Mrs. Ongwae’s office can
undertake dissemination of
materials on new laws and
policies including Protection
Against Domestic Violence
Act 2015 and Prohibition of
Female Genital Mutilation
Act 2011. This would also be
one way of educating members
of the public on laws and
create awareness that GBV is
a violation of these laws.
PIK project team also shared
some of its successes in working
with the youth and specifically
Kisii University, and agreed to
link the office of the Governor’s
wife with that of the Dean of
Students to enable them partner
and support initiatives that
promote rights of the girl child.
3
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Kisumu County Women Representative while discussing with PIK project staff. PHOTO: valine moraa
IRC offers technical support
for establishment of rescue
centre for GBV survivors
By Valine Moraa
S
afety and Security is the
immediate response that
Sexual Gender Based
Survivors must receive even as
they seek from other services.
This reduces the eminent
risk of repeated attack from
the perpetrator and gives the
survivor confidence and peace
of mind when seeking for other
services within the referral
pathway.
Peace Initiative Kenya (PIK)
project of the International
Rescue Committee (IRC)
with support from USAID,
and working with a consortium
of local organisations has
highlighted the need for
efficient delivery of social and
financial resources to curtail
Gender Based Violence (GBV).
The project works with county
governments in improving
GBV prevention and service
provision.
In Kisumu County, PIK has
been working with the office
4
of the Women Representative,
Gender Technical Working
Group, office of the Director
of Youth and Gender, County
Executive Committee Ministry
of Education Gender and
Culture as well as Members of
the County Assembly (MCAs)
to support and lobby for
establishment and maintenance
of structures for social service
delivery such as rescue centres
for survivors of GBV.
Violence
These
actions
follow
recommendations by the PIK
project report on status of
violence in the country.
The report, My Action
Counts: An Assessment
Report on GBV Responses
in Kisumu County indicates
defilement is a common form
of GBV in Kisumu County
with the Jaramogi Oginga
Odinga Gender Based Violence
Recovery Centre (GBVRC)
recording three to four cases
per day.
The report further reveals
that during school holidays,
cases of defilement increase to
between seven and ten per day.
Quoting data from Kisumu
Central Police Station, the
report notes majority of the
survivors are from informal
settlements and there is no
single safe houses/rescue centres
where survivors of GBV can go
to even as they heal,it is more
difficult for children who have
been defiled by their own
relatives and they have to put
in the same house as they heal.
Other forms of violence
common to the county
include widow inheritance
and cleansing, rape, incest and
sodomy. Teenage pregnancies
and early marriages remain huge
consequences of defilement.
The report also indicates wife
battering and violence against
women during electioneering
periods as other forms of GBV
common to the county. Myths
suggesting that sex with a virgin
cures HIV and AIDS highly
contribute to sexual violence
against children and vulnerable
groups including people living
with disability and the elderly.
Drug and alcohol abuse have
also been indicated to escalate
GBV.
Resources
One of the recommendations
by the report to the Kisumu
County Government is need
for implementation of Gender
Mainstreaming Strategy Plan
for 2013-2014 and 20172018. For this to be achieved,
the report indicates it will
require among other things
allocation of financial and
human resources to sectors and
institutions that work directly
in responding to and preventing
GBV.
PIK has been lobbying the
County goverment officials
and structures on the need to
improve GBV service delivery
in the county.
In one of the county engagement
with the International Rescue
Committee under the PIK
project,Hon.
Nyamunga
reiterated the need for
partnerships in ending GBV
and made her commitment in
setting aside a percentage of the
ISSUE 12
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
<< FROM PAGE 4
Affirmative Action Social
Development Fund to renovate
a centre that the county can use
as a safe house for GBV among
other development initiatives that
would reduce the vulnerability of
women and youth to drug abuse
and GBV.
Knowing the IRC’s expertise
in GBV programming,Hon.
Nyamunga sought for support
and IRC-PIK team offered the
technical support on what is
required to establish a safe house
and at the same time referred her
to National Gender and Equality
Commission since at that time
some members of Gender
technical committee were in the
process of developing Terms of
Reference for setting up a Safe/
Rescue centre.
The office of the Kisumu
County Women Representative
was also advised on how to come
up with a code of conduct to guide
those who will be working at the
rescue centre.The code of conduct
would also define the kind of
services to be offered at the centre.
The meeting also discussed
the action by the Members of
the Kisumu County Assembly
in passing a motion that was
presented by Hon.Farida Salim,
Nominated MCA, to establish
seven rescue centres across the
county. IRC-PIK has linked Hon.
Salim with NGEC who have
shown the willingness in helping
her to draft a bill on the motion
passed so that the establishment
of the rescue centres can be
factored in the financial budget
of 2016-2017
PIK encouraged the office of
the Women Representative to
work closely with the Gender
Technical Working Group since it
has a multi sectoral representation
from both the state and non-state
actors with expertise on GBV
programming.
ISSUE 12
AWC Editorial team discussing story and photo ideas for Tusemezane Magazine. PHOTO: george ngesa
Media agenda in
PIK project giving
SGBV visibility to
a larger audience
By Jane Godia
F
or the past three
years, African
Woman and Child
Feature Service (AWC) has
been the media partner in
the Peace Initiative Kenya
(PIK) project.
Since the project started,
the task ahead for AWC was
huge because it was started
just as the country was
heading for the 2013 General
Election.
According to Arthur
Okwemba,
Executive
Director AWC, the biggest
challenge was making
journalists and newsroom
managers to understand the
mission and vision of the PIK
project.
“Through this project,
about 81 journalists were
trained on reporting Sexual
and Gender Based Violence
(SGBV),”says Okwemba. He
adds: “Thirty one editors were
also sensitised on the nature,
magnitude and visibility of
SGBV in the county.”
Trained
However, the PIK project
was not going to be successful
with the media team alone.
Implementing partner
organisations had to be
trained on communication
and media skills; they
included over 12 staff from
local organisations working
on the project.
Speaking at the PIK
Partners’ meeting in Nairobi,
Okwemba notes that beyond
the training it was also
important to have wider
conversations around SGBV.
That engagement was done
through radio talk-shows
because the medium reaches
the widest audience among all
other media outlets.
“There have been over 25
radio talk-shows whose aim
was to create visibility and
dialogue around prevention,
response and management
of specific SGBV issues,”
explains Okwemba, noting
the target of 15 shows that
was initially set was surpassed.
There were a few
successes during the project’s
implementation period that
TURN TO PAGE 6>>
5
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
<< FROM PAGE 5
enhanced
performance.
One of them was the good
working relations with the
media which resulted in getting
more radio slots than had been
anticipated.
“That is why we surpassed
the target of 15 radio talk shows.
As a result of this there was
enhanced visibility of the issues
on various radio platforms
in English, Kiswahili and
vernacular stations,” he notes.
According to Okwemba,
working with a select group
of journalists who had been
trained and their interest in
reporting SGBV enhanced
also helped in generation of
content around this area for
Tusemezane and the other two
online publications by AWC,
namely, Reject and Kenyan
Woman.
Expands dialogue
As a media partner, AWC
has been producing the PIK
magazine — Tusemezane
Magazine. “This magazine
documents, informs, influences
and expands dialogue around
SGBV and particularly
on the issues PIK partner
organisations work around,”
Okwemba explains.
The Executive Director
observes.: “Every issue of
Tusemezane is e-mailed to
about 2,000 people where
downloads and impressions
for each issue is between 300
and 900.”
The top reader locations for
Tusemezane are Kenya, USA,
Nigeria, United Kingdom,
South Africa, Israel, Swaziland
and Norway.
Other factors that helped the
media pay more attention to
SGBV issues included calendar
days such as the 16-Days of
Activism against Gender
Based Violence. According to
Okwemba, the special calendar
6
AWC helped in publication of Tusemezane Magazine which highlighted PIK activities and issues around SGBV.
Photo Jane Godia.
days made it easy to get buy-ins
from media houses.
“It also directed the attention
of journalists to write or air on
radio and television as many
stories as possible on SGBV,
which became a blessing for
Tusemezane.”
He notes: “By having a
magazine that focuses purely on
GBV has been an incentive for
media practitioners to write on
these issues knowing very well
that they will get a platform to
publish them.”
However, despite the above
mentioned success, a few
challenges made it hard for
AWC to fulfill its mandate.
Failure to appreciate
newsworthiness of certain
GBV issues by journalists and
partners affected the production
of some news features and
stories.
“In turn this affected speed
at which Tusemezane magazine
was published hence affecting
production timelines,” says
Okwemba.
Media fatigue
Another
challenge
was
the media fatigue that was
experienced after 16-Days of
Activism against GBV.
According to the AWC
Executive Director, after that
intense campaign period, the
media felt GBV stories had
been given sufficient coverage
and should now be sent to the
back banner.
“We had to convince them to
agree to publish or even assign
journalists to cover events
where GBV issues were being
By having a magazine
that focuses purely on GBV has been
an incentive for media practitioners
to write on these issues knowing very
well that they will get a platform to
publish them.”
discussed,” he recalls.
Other than the radio talkshows and normal media
activities, AWC has also been
running the online platform
that is having people sign in
to the petition calling for the
establishment of a Gender
Crimes Unit by the Kenya
Police Service.
So far, over 2,100 have
signed up. The next step is to
present the draft petition to the
Inspector General of Police and
other relevant authorities.
However, there have
been challenges in signing
the petition. According to
Okwemba, signing of the
petition depended on emotional
moments and when those
moments faded, and then
interest and commitment to
GBV issues waned.
“This affected the on-line
signing of the petition which
stagnated for a couple of weeks
since there was no emotional
issue to give it the impetus it
required,” Okwemba observed.
He notes: “This dragged the
realisation of achieving our
targets.”
Arthur Okwemba, Executive Director
ISSUE 12
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Irene Magut on the
road walked at Rural
Women Peace Link
Mrs Irene Magut- Council of Elders Nandi. photo:george ngesa
By Odhiambo Orlale
F
or the past three years,
campaigning against
Gender Based Violence
has been Irene Magut’s
passion as a former teacher
and board member at Rural
Women Peace Link (RWPL).
As a board member of
the
non-governmental
organization based in Eldoret,
Uasin Gishu County, Magut
has also traversed neighbouring
counties of Nandi and Trans
Nzoia, leading the campaign
against Gender Based Violence
(GBV) and Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM), which is
still practiced in some parts of
counties within the North Rift
region.
“Our work has forced us to
travel to far-flung areas of Mt
Elgon in Bungoma and West
Pokot counties to unearth and
address problems facing rural
women and girls.”
Rural Women Peace
Link was started in 1992 and
ISSUE 12
focused on peace issues in the
North Rift region following
the tribal clashes related to the
General Elections. Magut is
one of the 13 board members
at Rural Women Peace Link
with the board chair being
Dolphina Alego, a former
magistrate, deputised by John
Nyandoro, an Eldoret-based
lawyer. Mary Chepkwony is
one of the founder members
and is also Deputy Director of
RWPL. Others who have been
co-opted include Rosemary
Cheptai from Mt Elgon
(Bungoma County), and Esther
Kangogo, from Burnt Forest
(Uasin Gishu County).
Peace advocacy
However, RWPL has been
deeply involved in the Peace
Initiative
Kenya
(PIK)
project. Three years ago,
RWPL teamed up with PIK
to include GBV and FGM
prevention programmes in its
peace advocacy programmes
in the three counties of Uasin
Gishu, Nandi and Trans Nzoia.
The organisation has donors
that have supported other
programmes. According to
Magut, the RWPL is multiethnic and half of the board
members are men.”
Magut notes: “For a long
We are able to work towards having
peaceful communities with the support
of PIK project.
Irene Magut’s passion as a former teacher and board member at
Rural Women Peace Link (RWPL
time GBV programming has
been seen as a woman’s issue and
that is the reason why RWPL
has involved men as members of
the board since they recognize
the role of men in GBV
prevention and response.”
Looking back, Magut
observes that one of their
biggest success stories has been
reaching out to women on issues
of early preparedness on issues
of Peace and GBV prevention
and Response
“We were able to promote
peace with support of PIK
project which is led by
the International Rescue
Committee (IRC) and funded
by USAID. We are happy that
the elections were peaceful,”
Magut recalls.
Get more women
Another success in my line of
work with other project that
RWPL does is the capacitybuilding programmes for
women aspirants for the County
Assembly,
parliamentary,
gubernatorial and Senate seats.
“We were also able to get
more women to stand for
elections, even though many did
not make it. It’s regrettable that
the better ones of the losers were
left out during nominations,”
she observes.
Rural Women Peace Link
has mentorship programmes
for over 100 students who
include vulnerable boys and
also rescuing girls who escaped
FGM and forced marriages.
The organisation has assisted
by getting sponsors and safe
houses for GBV and FGM
survivors.
So far, RWPL has managed
to follow up many GBV cases
in court. One of the most
successful being that of a father
who was jailed for 51 years for
defiling his daughter.
The latter was informed by an
TURN TO PAGE 8>>
7
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
FROM PAGE 7
assessment of GBV in Nandi
County that indicated it was
leading in GBV cases in the
country. Specific forms of Sexual
and Gender Based Violence
cases were cited as defilement
that leads to early marriages
and teenage pregnancy, rape
and FGM.
“Some of the major issues
raised in the report were that
of child and early marriages of
girls below 18 years being on the
increase,” observes Magut. She
explains: “We were informed of
cases of girls as young as eight
and nine-years-old .”
Magut notes: “I am
appealing to the adults to
protect and respect the rights
of the children,I am certain
that this will reduce cases of
defilement,early and unplanned
pregnancies and early/forced
marriages”
In her other role as a member
of the Nandi Kaburwo —
Council of Elders — Magut
has led RWPL to schools in the
region in the campaign against
GBV.They have also mentored
schoolgirls encouraging them to
study hard and avoid being led
astray through peer pressure and
by the society as a whole.
Asked if she has any regrets
in the work she has been doing
around peace building and
fighting to reduce GBV, Magut
says: “Not really, when we
started our work as a community
based organisation (CBO), we
8
RWPL board member, Irene Magut, addressing an antiGBV and anti-FGM public forum in a
church in Nandi County. photo:george ngesa
may have made some mistakes,
but we learnt and have never
looked back. We wish we would
have more funding to continue
with the projects.”
Demonized
However, Magut regrets
that some of the local nongovernmental organisations
including Rural Women
Peace Link are demonized
by politicians because of the
controversial Kenyan case in the
International Criminal Court at
The Hague, in The Netherlands.
She recalls that several offices
were raided and vital documents
stolen at the height of the ICC
case.
These events forced RWPL
office at Bargetuny Plaza in
the central business district
in Eldoret to be moved to the
outskirts of town.
Asked what she would do
differently, Magut says: “I would
not do anything differently,
but would do things more
vigorously.”
She explains: “Specifically, I
would focus on civic education,
empowering the communities
so that they can take part in
decision making through
knowledge.”
The war against FGM and
GBV is not ending anytime
soon and Magut offers her
advice on what needs to be
done to deter sex pests and
perpetrators of violence.
More men on board
“The unfinished business is that
we need more men on board to
assist in this war,” says Magut.
She adds: “We got better results
when we had more men on
board to work with women.”
Magut observes that the
anti-GBV laws and policies
are good but the problem is
implementation. “We need
the support of everyone to
succeed,” Magut says and adds
that retrogressive culture and
male chauvinism are still a big
problem in the anti-GBV and
FGM war”.
ISSUE 12
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
RAPADO organises men to raise
engagement in GBV prevention
PIK officials at a sensitisation forum in Kuria West, Migori County, during the Day of the
African child where issues of FGM and child marriages featured prominently. photo: christine ogutu
By Jane Godia
T
he curtain is about to
fall on the three-year
old Peace Initiative
Kenya (PIK) Project’s
advocacy in the peace and
anti-Gender Based Violence
(GBV) campaigns.
Prior to the 2013 General
Election, the project ensured
peace prevailed before, during
and after the polls, in addition
to promoting prevention and
response to GBV across the
country.
The vision of the project,
which is implemented by
various organisations led by
the International Rescue
Committee (IRC), was to
ensure that the nation is
free from all forms of GBV
including Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM).
The project would not have
achieved its objectives without
the input of its local partners
working in the designated nine
counties of Mombasa, Kwale,
Taita-Taveta, Migori, Kisii,
Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, Nandi
ISSUE 12
and Trans-Nzoia Counties.
It is through concerted
efforts that the PIK partners
held joint meetings and came
up with various advocacy
methods and tools to ensure
that the ultimate goal was
achieved.
In Migori County, for
example, PIK has been working
with the Rural Aids Prevention
and Development Organisation
(RAPADO) in the efforts that
make true the old adage ‘many
hands make light work’.
Ensure
Though a late entrant into the
PIK family, having joined in
April 2015, RAPADO would
not be derailed by the short time
to project closure. They had to
ensure that their footsteps left
a mark as the curtains comes
to a close.
In being innovative, RAPADO
ensured that it followed PIK’s
motto of targeting women
and men as partners in GBV
prevention and management.
In its unique innovative way,
RAPADO scaled-up male
engagement in the project
after realising that although
men and women were all
victims of Gender Based
Violence, women and girls
remain
disproportionately
affected with majority of the
perpetrators being men and
boys.
According to Gloria Ochola,
project officer in Governance
and
Democratisation
Programme at RAPADO,
GBV must be understood
within the context of men’s
and women’s relative social and
economic disadvantage.
Says Ochola: “Addressing
GBV requires understanding
and challenging gender
inequality, promoting women’s
equal rights and creating
social, political and economic
environment in which everyone
is empowered to enjoy those
rights.”
She notes that at RAPADO,
they also focus on empowering
men with information on GBV
prevention and response.
“Men are identified during
community awareness forums
and engaged to champion
against all forms of violence
in the county, since in most
cases they are the perpetrators
of these injustices,” Ochola
observes. She adds: “Working
with men to address GBV is
important in order to change
behaviour as well as get their
assistance in strengthening
community institutions that
can address GBV and get them
involved in promoting women’s
equality and leadership.”
There are several other
reasons for engaging men in
the fight against GBV and
these include: reducing the
violence; their participation
helps to avoid a backlash against
violence against a women’s
only program; men often hold
more power and influence in a
home or community and can be
more effective as change agent.
“Engaging men supports the
social reintegration of survivors
who are often ostracized by
their husbands or families,”
says Ochola.
Social change
She explains: “If social
change is to be sustained, it
is important to engage the
whole community — not only
one half, namely women —
including the most influential
power brokers.”
Through male engagement,
RAPADO has also identified a
certain category of men who are
referred to as “male champions”
in the war against GBV.
Ochola explains: “Male
champions are the persons
identified to respond to and
prevent GBV cases in the
county. Currently we have
466 male champions who are
involved in continuous GBV
9
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
County), Nyabende Support
Programmes (Kisumu County)
and Rural Aids Prevention and
Development
Organisation
(Migori County).
The project though being
implemented nationally has had
a huge concentration in the nine
counties of Kisumu, Migori, Kisii,
Trans-Nzoia, Nandi, Uasin Gishu,
Mombasa, Kwale and Taita Taveta.
Community Activists during a Gender Based Violence prevention and response workshop organized by
PIK in Kisii County. Photo: ben oroko
Training manual to
scale up PIK advocacy
in war against GBV
By Jane Godia
W
hen Peace Initiative
Kenya (PIK) project
was established about
three years ago, it had a vision
and mission that centred on
ensuring that Kenya is a nation
free from all forms of Sexual and
Gender Based Violence (SGBV).
It also aimed at improved
national and county-level GBV
service delivery systems and policy
implementation.
These would be achieved
through the project’s objectives of
strengthening county engagement
It is important to have countyspecific laws to aide in addressing
Gender Based Violence in Kisumu,”
Farida Ahmed Salim, Nominated Member of County
Assembly (MCA).
10
in preventing and responding to
GBV as well as increasing access
and utilization of GBV services
through community outreach
among other efforts in raising
awareness.
The
project
is
being
implemented under a consortium
of partners who include African
Woman and Child Feature Service
(AWCFS), Healthcare Assistance
Kenya (HAK), Rural Women
Peace Link (RWPL), Sauti ya
Wanawake Pwani (SYWP),
Women Empowerment Link
(WEL) and African Women
Entrepreneurship Programme
(AWEP).
This year three new partners,
that are community based
organisations, joined the PIK
family.They are Amjutine Children
Care and Protection Centre (Kisii
Training manual
However, having realised that they
need to do more to address GBV,
the PIK-led organizations, with
support of implementing partners
and USAID developed a training
manual titled: My Action Counts:
A Training Handbook on Tackling
Gender Based Violence in Kenya.
So far the manual has been
used in GBV stakeholders’
training workshops held in Kisii,
Mombasa and Kisumu.
In reference to the workshop
that was recently held by
stakeholders in Kisumu, the main
objective of the workshop was to
train county government officials
and legislators on strategies for
GBV prevention and response
at the county level.
According to IRC, the
trainings were intended to get
a well-informed audience that
understands and is knowledgeable
on GBV prevention and response.
The training manual would
also be disseminated through
different stakeholders who can
then mainstream it in their various
programs.
IRC officers say that training
targets all counties where PIK
is being implemented. So far
Kisii, Mombasa and Kisumu
counties have hosted the training
workshops.
In
Kisii
the
training
targeted community activists
as well as county and executive
administrators. In Mombasa
the target group was community
activists within the Sauti Chapters
from the Coastal region including
L a m u TURN TO PAGE 11>>
ISSUE 12
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
FROM PAGE 10
and Kilifi counties.
Those who benefitted
from the trainings in Kisumu
County were county staff from
different departments such as
survey, agriculture, health and
education as well as office of the
governor’s spouse, office of the
deputy governor, community
activists, police and Members
of the County Assembly.
Response
Various committees within the
County Assembly leadership
such as Justice and Legal Affairs
as well as Gender and Culture
were also included.
The training workshops are
in line with PIK’s vision and
mission of ensuring county and
national government as well as
the community have an elevated
way of response and prevention
to GBV.
The handbook is intended as
a resource for participants, who,
after the training will use it to
enhance their knowledge and
skills in handling GBV matters,
including case management
or even management of cases
he manual is intended to
facilitate dialogue and deeper
conversations on GBV and
gender relations across the
country.
ISSUE 12
There is no
justification to
rape a woman
just because she
has worn a short
dress.”
Caren Omanga, Chairperson
Nyabende Support Programmes,
The training manual is also
an advocacy tool to be used by
communities and rights holders
in urging duty bearers to make
adequate provisions for the
prevention of, and response to
GBV in getting a better review
under their respective counties.
The training was also to
enhance and propel establishing
and strengthening mechanisms
on GBV prevention and
response.
Policies in place
Those who spoke during the
interactive training session in
Kisumu indicated that Sexual
and Gender Based Violence
must be addressed from all
fronts, including having laws
and policies in place.
“It is important for the
county government to know
how to address Gender Based
Violence issues,” noted Lucy
Matengo, Chief OfficerGender in Kisumu County.
The participants in Kisumu
were also urged to advocate
against retrogressive cultural
practices (myths around GBV)
that have no basis in law. There
was also a call for countyspecific laws that would aid in
addressing GBV.
“It is important to have
county-specific
laws
to
aide in addressing Gender
Based Violence in Kisumu,”
said Farida Ahmed Salim,
Nominated Member of County
Assembly (MCA).
Single cause
The participants reiterated
that there is no single cause
or reason for a woman to
be violated. There are those
who have used poverty as an
excuse to perpetuate violence.
However, this should not be
the case.
According
to
Caren
Omanga,
Chairperson
Nyabende
Support
Programmes, nobody should
“justify issues of defilement
with poverty to avert justice”.
Omanga noted that rape and
defilement can only end if stern
action is taken to end the vice.
Justification
Her sentiments were echoed
by Rebecca Didi Odongo,
Personal Assistant of the
governor’s spouse, who noted:
“There is no justification to rape
a woman just because she has
worn a short dress.”
The issue of GBV being
normalised and shrouded
under a cloud of silence must
end.This was reiterated by Joyce
Cherono, a police officer based
at the Gender Desk, Kondele
Police Station who noted that
there must be male involvement
in advocacy around GBV.
“There is need for male
survivors to break the silence on
GBV issues in Kisumu County.
They should come out and get
help,” said Cherono.
Realising that statistics of
SGBV from the county were
worrying, the stakeholders
promised to scale up the war
against the vice by using the
training manual. They vowed
to unite and join hands as a
way of addressing GBV. This
was emphasized by the MCAs
in attendance and the Kisumu
County Executive Committee
Ministry of Education, Gender,
Youth Culture, and Sports.
11
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
PIK partner ensures perpetrator gets
punishment for sexual violence
By Christine Ogutu
I
t took a lot of bravery for
ten-year old Tina (not her
real name) to speak up
against the man who defiled
her.
“Her courage bore the fruits
of justice after a two year judicial
process that saw my daughter
and I go through intimidation
from our clan members and her
schoolmates,” says Awinja (not
her real name), Tina’s mother.
According to Awinja,
the ordeal left her daughter
psychologically traumatised.
“Her schoolmates teased her
on why she spoke against the
perpetrator, while his relatives
piled pressure on me to have an
out of court settlement,” says
Awinja.“However, I kept on the
fight in the hope that justice will
be served.”
Ill intentions
Two years ago, eight-yearold Tina in the company of
her cousin went to a nearby
forest to fetch firewood. This
was at around 4.00pm when
an 18-year-old neighbour
approached them. He called
Tina to the side and told her
to follow him a few metres
away. In her innocence Tina
could not suspect that he had
ill intentions. It was here that
he defiled and left her crying
in pain.
By the time Tina’s cousin
came to her rescue, it was too
late as the deed had been done.
With the support of her cousin,
the two girls were able to walk
back home where they reported
what had transpired to Tina’s
uncle.
He then took the young
girl to the market place where
12
A sign board outside the Nyando Law Courts in Ahero town, Kisumu County where Tina’s case was heard
and determined. Photo Valine Moraa.
PHOTO: CHRISTINE OGUTU
her mother trades. On being
informed what had happened
to her daughter, Awinja
immediately rushed her to the
nearby dispensary where it was
confirmed that she had been
defiled.
Tina was immediately given
treatment and afterwards they
went to report the case at the
police station where a P3 form
was filled and the perpetrator
arrested the same night of the
incident. The following day
he was taken to Nyando Law
Courts, Kisumu County where
the judge ordered that he be
remanded at Kodiaga Prison
pending hearing of the case, as
he was unable to raise bail.
The arrest helped calm
Tina’s fears for a short time as
the perpetrator was soon able
to raise enough money to be
released on bail. Soon he and his
clan’s men started threatening
Tina’s mother demanding
that she drops the case. Awinja
was shaken and confused not
knowing where to seek help as
the harassment continued.
“The clan elders came
threatening me that the
perpetrator was an orphan
hence we should sit down as a
clan and have the matter settled
out of court,” recalls Awinja.
She adds: “I was afraid of
what would happen to my
daughter after the paedophile
was released and all the clan
elders ganged up against me for
being adamant on proceeding
with the legal process.”
Case withdrawn
It was around this time that
Caren Omanga, chairperson
of
Nyabende
Support
Programmes got wind of the
plans by clan elders to have the
case withdrawn and settled out
of court.
“I came to know of the plans
by the elders through the area
chief who has been working
closely with us in addressing
response and prevention
to Gender Based Violence
(GBV),” says Omanga.
Omanga took up the case
and ensured that it went
through the court process. She
would drop by the market place
where Awinja sells tomatoes
and vegetables just to check up
on and give her psychosocial
support.
Perpetrator
At one point, Awinja had
been misinformed by a court
officer that her daughter’s case
file was lost but as it was to be
confirmed later by Omanga, the
file was not lost. It was just a ploy
by the officer to have Awinja
give up on following the court
proceedings.
“I would hear from the
villagers that the perpetrator
had reported to them that the
case file got lost and the case
could not continue and it would
be just a matter of time before
the case was thrown out of
court,” Awinja recalls.
Omanga stood her ground,
intent to follow up with the
court amidst the confusion
and rumours spread within the
community by the perpetrator
and his relatives.
ISSUE 12
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Tina did not have a lawyer to
represent her in court, but had a
paralegal, Omanga, who gave her
legal advice.
She would advise Awinja on
what to do and keep her updated
with the court process. She would
also counsel Tina as she prepared to
give her account in court on what
transpired.
For two years, Omanga stood by
Awinja and her daughter even as the
case met setback after setback at the
Nyando Law Courts. The delivery
of the sentence was delayed several
times as the perpetrator boasted that
he would never be convicted for the
crime. Many a time the court process
would stop or be delayed on grounds
that the accused was sick or unable
to attend court sessions.
However, on July 2015, the tides
turned in favour of Tina.The accused
was found guilty of defilement
by the court and sentenced to life
imprisonment.
“The sentencing was a relief as
justice prevailed. I no longer have to
worry that the perpetrator will walk
scot free and continue to intimidate
me and my daughter, and probably
continue to defile other children in
the village,” says Awinja.
Today, Omanga through
Nyabende Support Programmes
takes Tina through psycho-social
support to allow her heal from the
abuse. She has since been transferred
to another school to avoid being
stigmatised by her schoolmates.
Nyabende Support Programmes
is a community based organisation
and a an implementing partner of
the Peace Initiative Kenya project
based in Kisumu County. Working
in line with the PIK project’s
mission and vision, Nyabende works
to provide legal and psychosocial
support to survivors of GBV. It
works with men and women in the
community as well as county and
national government structures to
create an enabling environment for
coordination of GBV response and
prevention.
ISSUE 12
A beneficiary of AWEP’s training, Cecilia Nekesa (right) , in Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums in Nairobi,
displays her chicken ready for sale to AWEP coordinator Susan Owuor.
Photo: courtesy of awep
AWEP goes to the
rescue of Nairobi
slum women
By Henry Kahara
F
or the past eight
months women
in Mukuru Kwa
Njenga slums in Nairobi
have been engaged in a
pilot project to empower
them.
After training, the women
were given KSh20,000 seed
capital for business.
One
woman
who
has benefitted from the
programme is Cecilia
Nekesa. Prior to the African
Women Entrepreneurship
Programme (AWEP) Kenya
chapter training, Nekesa
would just sit at home, most
probably sleeping in until
late morning as she did not
have much to do. However,
things changed the minute
she interacted with AWEP
and now she has to wake up
early to complete domestic
chores before starting on her
business.
“I usually wake up at 5am
every morning to prepare my
children for school before
embarking on my daily
business,” says Nekesa, a
mother of two.
She adds: “AWEP opened
my eyes. They have trained
and helped me to see the
many opportunities that have
always been there but I had
turned a blind eye to,”
Looking at her life now,
Nekesa says she has come a
long way from the days when
she would sleep hungry with
no stable means of eking out
a living.
“AWEP changed my
life. They breathed life in
my hopelessness,” she says
noting that her life took a
new direction immediately
she engaged with them.
Pilot project
Nekesa is among a group of
slum women beneficiaries
who are in the pilot project
being undertaken by AWEP
to make them financially
independent.
AWEP
notes that when a woman
is financially independent,
earning her own money then
TURN TO PAGE 14>>
13
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
<< from page 13
she can live better her life.
“They gave me a grant of
Shs20,000 which I used to start
my mandazi (buns) business
and rearing chicken,” Nekesa
recalls with pride. Today she
has 40 hens.
“I first bought two hens
— male and female. The hen
laid eggs and after few weeks
it hatched 12 chicks,” says
Nekesa during an interview
with Tusemezane.
She explains: “Some of them
died, but I am happy that eight
survived. Now these eight are
big hens and they too are laying
eggs.”
Nekesa shares her house with
the hens and this then brings to
reality the need to work hard
since she has to clean the house
every day to avoid the foul smell.
Earn an income
“I live in a slum. The space is
quite small so I am forced to
wake up very early and clean the
house which I share with the
hens,” she says. “In the morning
I let them out to graze and they
return in the evening when
darkness approaches.”
Nekesa is happy that the
chicken are now laying eggs,
which she sells to earn an
income.
“I sell an egg at KSh15.
Currently I never lack money
to buy basic items,” she notes.
At the same time her
mandazi business is thriving
and she is able to make an
average of KSh500 every day.
“Before I met AWEP I
used to rely on casual jobs like
washing people’s clothes but
sometimes it would be hard to
14
get the part time work,” Nekesa
says.
Asked what she did to ensure
that the chickens survived,
Nekesa said: “I went to a
veterinary doctor in town. He
advised me on the kind of food
to give my chicks and I have seen
it working,” Nekesa explains
adding she has a specific agrovet shop where she buys chicken
feed and other items.
Nekesa’s story echoes that of
49-year-old Margret Awinja
who makes dresses and bags
from her house within the
Mukuru kwa Njenga slum.
Also a beneficiary of the
AWEP training, Awinja was
an ordinary business woman
who was struggling before
AWEP came into the scene and
saved her business. She now has
resources to meet big orders.
Awinja has been getting
orders from as far as Uganda
and ensures she delivers them
on time.
“The problem with most
of us is lack of funds. We can
work but delivering big orders
has been a challenge because we
our income is limited,” she says.
Awinja was introduced to
the Ugandan deal by a woman
friend who she fellowships with
in church.
“The woman who hails from
Uganda connected me with her
Uganda church choir which was
in need of vitengees (African
fabric clothes),”explains Awinja
who was sure that she would
deliver the tender.
Buy materials
“I received KSh20,000 seed
capital from AWEP and added
this to the little saving that I
had. This would help me buy
the materials and deliver the
order,” she explains.
Prior to the AWEP
intervention, Awinja did various
odd jobs which gave her a headstart to save KSh500 per week.
“I also make soap in the
house and sell it to neighbours
while the remainder I use in the
house,” she reveals.
Through the training she
received from AWEP, Awinja
has been able to not only cut
her budget but also make the
extra shilling.
This has helped to improve
her life and health.
According
to
Nancy
Gitonga, Executive Director
AWEP Kenya Chapter, their
aim is to empower more women
so that they can live a better life.
“When you empower a
woman you empower a family
and a community as well,” says
Gitonga.
AWEP Executive director, Nancy Gitonga (centre) addressing PIK Chief of Party, Jebiwot Sumbeiywo
(second left) and her team products made by beneficiaries. Photo: courtesy awep
ISSUE 12
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Tom Ogam, Assistant Chief Kakmia , Kisumu County during an interview with Tusemezane Magazine. Picture Valine Moraa Photo: VALINE MORAA
WhatsApp comes in
handy for Chief in the
frontline of anti-GBV war
By Christine Ogutu
W
hile many men
will shy away from
addressing issues
related to Gender Based
Violence, Assistant Chief Tom
Ogam stands tall in Kisumu
County for his passion in the
anti-GBV campaign.
Ogam, who is the Assistant
The trainings empowered me on
issues related to GBV. They provided
a platform for me to build community
networks that have so far been
effective in stemming in my area of
jurisdiction.”
Tom Ogam, Assistant Chief Kakmia , Kisumu County
ISSUE 12
Chief in Kakmia, Nyando
Sub-County, Kisumu County,
has taken it upon himself to
ensure that rape suspects and
perpetrators of other forms
of GBV are brought to book.
He ensures that due process
is followed to the letter so that
justice prevails.
In his capacity as an
administrator, Ogam is a happy
man as his efforts have not been
in vain. This is particularly due
to his partnering with Peace
Initiative Kenya (PIK) project
through the local implementing
organisation Nyabende Support
Programmes.
The organization has a
network of 35 community
activists who rescue, refer and
provide psycho-social as well as
para-legal support to survivors
of GBV.
Through Nyabende Support
Programmes, Ogam is one of
the male champions in Kisumu
County, having attended
a
stakeholders’
training
on strengthening referral
mechanisms of GBV cases as well
as issues on the rights of women
and girls.
“The trainings empowered
me on issues related to GBV,”
says Ogam. He explains: “They
provided a platform for me to
build community networks
that have so far been effective in
stemming the vice in my area of
jurisdiction.”
Ensure justice
Through these efforts, Ogam
envisions a society free of GBV,
saying he is always addressing the
vice to ensure justice is served to
survivors, their families and the
community.
Ogam knows that he cannot
win the war on GBV alone
and works closely with the
TURN TO PAGE 16>>
15
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
<< from page 15
community.
Community
leaders
like Ogam recognizes the
importance of a competent
person who is able to
understand the culture and
bring authority to stamp out
retrogressive cultural practices
and resolve conflicts that would
otherwise tear down a people’s
way of life.
The role of chiefs as lawenforcers cannot be understated
when it comes to addressing
Gender Based Violence. Chiefs
are the people’s representative.
They are accessible, respected
and legitimate members of the
administration and hence have
the mandate to enforce laws and
policies at the community level.
Being the custodians of
the law, they are often the first
point of entry to receiving GBV
cases such as defilement, rape
and domestic violence among
others.
Prevention
It is for this reason that Peace
Initiative Kenya (PIK) project
has been working closely
with the local administration
that includes chiefs and their
assistants in the prevention of
and response to GBV.
Ogam notes that for a long
time perceptions and myths
around GBV have hindered
access to justice for survivors.
Ogam has received many
reports from the public
protesting against with the
manner in which the police
and other administrators, like
himself, handle GBV cases in
the area.
They have also accused
the police of delaying to act
on GBV cases, especially
defilement and rape cases, and
of releasing suspects under
dubious circumstances.
“It is, therefore, a challenge
when I take such cases to the
16
police. Sometimes survivors will
refuse to record statements and
would rather withdraw due to
issues of trust and ignorance
of the whole process of the
criminal justice system,” he
explains.
Many cases of defilement go
unreported due to stigma with
most parents opting to avoid the
courts and instead settling cases
out of court.
It is for this reason that
Ogam has been using the
weekly community barazas
(meetings) to demystify myths
and misconceptions about
GBV. He has used the platforms
to advocate for the community
to use the legal process instead
of settling cases through the
kangaroo courts.
However, despite these
efforts there are still underlying
challenges that he has to
grapple with in dispensing
his responsibility as an
administrator and law enforcer.
Among the challenges is
validating the identification of
the offenders. He says some of
them are labourers employed
without identification cards
and when they commit crimes
it is hard to assess their age, a
factor that leads to delaying
the court processes which
provides loopholes for wrong
judgment since handling
juvenile offenders is under the
Children’s Act.
Challenge
Another challenge is that most
clinical officers are reluctant
to sign the P3 and Post Rape
Care (PRC) forms because they
want to avoid being designated
as prime witnesses to testify in
court.
Ogam notes that this is
frustrating to some of the
medical officers because of their
workload while some health
workers are not well versed with
the court procedures.
The other challenge is the
unavailability of rescue centres
in Kisumu County. Though
notable strides have been
made by the Kisumu County
Assembly in passing a motion
that calls for the establishment
of sub-county rescue centres
for GBV survivors, Ogam
notes that what is pending is
the implementation.
“Most GBV survivors are
vulnerable and more prone to
repeated attacks and some can
lose their lives in the process if
not provided with safe shelters,”
Ogam observes. He reiterates:
“There is need for such people
to urgently access rescue centres
to get psychosocial support
urgently.”
Ogam lauds the PIK project
for the approach it has used
to address GBV both at the
national and county level. He
would like PIK to organize
more awareness creation and
sensitization platforms at the
grassroots that would bring all
the organs of the community to
speak out on the impact of GBV
A chief addresses community activists at an anti-GBV training in Migori County. Photo: valine moraa
ISSUE 12
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Pictorial
Community activists making presentation during a GBV training in Migori.
Photo: valine moraa
Josephine Ombati, an MCA in Kisii County,
addressing women leaders forum organised by
AMJUTUNE under the PIK programme.
Photo: valine moraa
Wendy Auma, project officer of IRC, with students of St Mary’s Mabera in Migori
County after a sensitisation forum.
Photo: Christine Ogutu
George Orude, Gender & Civic Education Officer
while at the PIK GBV stakeholders training in
Kisumu County.
ISSUE 12
PIK staff at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Referal Hospital’s gender based violence
centre GBVRC).
Photo: courtesy of PIK.
17
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Merida Omalie, Chairperson of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization, Kuria Sub-County, at her home during the interview on her campaign against
GBV and woman-to-woman marriages in the area. Photo: miller omega
How woman-towoman marriages
are escalating GBV
By Miller Omega
W
hen a teenage
mother from
Kuria community
explained to her new
neighbours in Kericho town
that she had escaped from
an abusive marriage with
another woman who was “her
husband”, she was considered
weird.
Mana Boke, now in her 30s,
says she escaped from Kibintu
Village, Kuria West Sub-county
when she was forced by an uncle
to marry an elderly woman in
the traditional practice which is
commonly referred as nyumba
mboke.
“I only knew of the
arrangement when my uncle
18
told me an elderly woman
who had not been blessed with
children was willing to pay a
lucrative bride price for my hand
in marriage,” Boke narrates.
Being the first born daughter,
the pressure to be married and
support her other siblings and
sickly mother was too much to
bear.
“I started to fend for my
family at the age of 10 years.
Due to the vicious cycle of
poverty I had to drop out of
school to support my sick
mother,” Boke recalls.
However, when the issue of
forced marriage came up, she
feared and fled to Kericho at
the age of 15. However, life for
a teenager in Kericho town is
not easy and Boke realized that
“I got pregnant; with no money to survive
on, I found it viable to marry the elderly
woman. My family was attracted by the
huge bride price, which I was never told of
how much it was.
Mana Boke,
she had return home since she
had nobody to support her.The
guilt of leaving behind an ailing
mother also became too much.
“I got pregnant; with no
money to survive on, I found
it viable to marry the elderly
woman. My family was
attracted by the huge bride pri
ce, which I was never told of
how much it was,” Boke says.
Once she was married off,
her elderly “husband” procured
for her a male member of her
(husband’s) family to help sire
children for her, as is required
by custom and tradition.
“The man was the brother
to the woman I was married to.
He came into my house without
any emotional attachment and
support to ensure I copulate
with him before leaving for his
family,” Boke narrates.
They had two children, but
differences with the man and
Boke’s “husband”saw the union
crumble.
“I was often physically and
emotionally abused as I was
left alone to fend for my three
children. Unable to bear the
ISSUE 12
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
violence I ran away and went
back to my father’s home” Boke
explains.
Boke would later marry
another man for nine years and
have another two more children
after he promised to take care of
her and their children. However,
this union would also end in
separation.
Being a single mother
now, Boke says her current
predicament is caused by the
nyumba boke culture.
It is only when she got in
touch with Gokeharaka Central
and South (GOCESO), a local
community based organization
headed by Merida Omalie,
who is also the Chairperson
of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake
Kuria East Sub-county,
that she realised her rights
had been trampled upon.
Through GOCESO Boke
has been empowered and now
understands her rights.
Trained and mentored
Rural Aids Prevention and
Development Organisation
(RAPADO), an implementing
organisation of the Peace
Initiative
Kenya
(PIK)
project in Migori County has
been working with various
organisations to address the
question of violence against
women including that of
violence in woman-to-woman
marriages.
Through the PIK project,
RAPADO
enlists
the
community in prevention of
and response to Gender Based
Violence through engaging men
and women as key stakeholders.
Omole Opinya, programme
officer
Advocacy
and
Partnerships at RAPADO says:
“As an organisation, RAPADO
has been working with Gosece
Women’s Group.”
It’s one of the women’s groups
which RAPADO has trained
and mentored in GBV
ISSUE 12
prevention and response.
He explains: “We have
equally worked with Gocese
leaders to increase access to and
utilization of GBV services
through community outreaches
and awareness raising in Kuria.”
According to Omole,
Gosece is one of the women’s
organizations in RAPADO’s
database
of
grassroots
organizations.
Essentially,
the women’s organisations
contribute to ending nyumba
mboke practices in Kuria. The
women’s groups educate women
on their rights and empower
them in addition to having
programmes to rescue girls
and women who are survivors
of GBV.
Capacity building
“We have also involved
representatives
of
the
group in capacity building
forums including in areas of
child protection and GBV
prevention,” says Omole.
According to Omalie many
girls are forced into early
marriages due to poverty in
their families.
Omalie notes that there is a
lot of violence in the community
but many people tend to
concentrate on Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM) and other
forms Gender Based Violence
within normal marriages. She
says violence within the nyumba
mboke arrangement is never
given due consideration.
“Through the support of our
women’s group we rescue girls
at risk of being married to other
women and put them under our
care,” explains Omalie. “We
then nurture their self-esteem
from examples of women who
have made great success in life
but never went through the
knife or forced marriage.”
Omalie identifies Kubira
Village in Kuria East Subcounty as one of the hot spots
where it is very common for
barren elderly woman to look
for a young girl and pay bride
price to her parents.
“She pays bridal wealth in the
form of cattle to the parents of
the girl. This is also practiced
among elderly couples who
do not have children,” Omalie
explains. “Once the girl is taken
to the new home, a search is put
in place for a suitable man so
they can bear “grandchildren”
for the elderly woman or
couple.”
According to Omalie the girl is
never given the right to choose
her desired partner and has no
say over who should sire her
children. In short “she is tossed
from one male family member
to another”.
Challenge
“The man chosen is solely
on the discretion of the elderly
woman. If she is not impressed
then she can chase him away
and procure another husband
in a very short notice,” Omalie
reveals.
The nyumba mboke remains
a challenge for many women
and girls. A woman can end up
having several “husbands” and
sex partners procured by her
“husband”, which increases
risk of getting pregnant and/or
contracting sexually transmitted
diseases including HIV AIDS.
“Most victims are school
dropouts or under-age girls
with early pregnancies. At times
they are chosen at a tender age
of five years and dowry paid in
instalments,” says Omalie. She
adds: “Such victims lack voice
to decide their fate.”
Participants share views at a women’s’ community forum organized by PIK in Kuria West sub- County, Migori
County. Photo: valine moraa
19
PROMOTING A SOCIETY FREE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Pastor Job Odindo facilitating a PIK GBV Stakeholders training held in Kisumu. Photo: cHRiSTINE OGUTU
Turning the tide on
Gender Based Violence
from the pulpit: Pastor
Job Odindo’s Story
By Valine Moraa
A
s a religious leader
in Ahero Town,
Kisumu County,
Pastor Job Odindo not only
uses his vocational platform
to preach the gospel but he
also uses it to advocate against
Gender Based Violence in the
community.
The
community
has
developed a trust in him and
often reachs out to him for
help with their problems, most
of which are linked to domestic
violence and defilement.
A trained counsellor, Odindo
is among 35 community
activists in Kisumu County
working under the Peace
Initiative Kenya (PIK) project
that is led by International
Rescue Committee (IRC) with
support of USAID.
Through his engagement
with the PIK project,
Odindo has benefitted from
three separate trainings.
These include community
20
facilitation of peace and Gender
Based Violence awareness
campaign forums; community
mobilization strategy using
the Start Awareness Support
Action (SASA!) model; as
well as emergency response
and preparedness.
According to Odindo the
trainings have not been in vain.
“I use the knowledge gained
from the trainings to address
conflict and empower members
of the community,” he says.
Continuous violation
Odindo’s interest in Gender
Based Violence was kindled by
the continuous violation meted
against women and girls from
his immediate surroundings.
“I come from the Luo
community and like other
ethnic groups in Kenya and
Africa at large, our cultural
values and beliefs since time
immemorial have promoted
wife battering as a disciplinary
action,” says Odindo. He notes:
“This has led to the community
normalizing wife battering.”
Odindo recalls: “When
I was growing up, my father
was violent to my mother. As
time went on my elder brother
married and he was also violent
towards his wives.”
He observes: “It was these
experiences from my own
family and other families that
compelled me to take action to
advocate against the vice.”
Odindo explains: “I have
extended advocacy against
GBV to my congregation
at Miracle Victory Church
as well as the surrounding
community on Gender Based
Violence (GBV) prevention
and response.”
He expounds: “I inform
them on the different forms
of GBV including physical,
psychological and sexual abuse
as well as the measures to take
when such violations occur such
as medical, physiological and
legal support.”
Among those who have
benefitted from Odindo’s
intervention is Akello (not her
real name), a mother of two
daughters.
Before reaching out to
Odindo for help, Akello had
undergone continuous physical
and verbal abuse in the hands of
her alcoholic husband.
“On the day of the verdict, I
approached the magistrate and
expressed my willingness to
forgive him after he had beaten
me. The magistrate reconciled
us in court and gave him a final
warning against the abuse,
failure to which he would be
incarcerated,” explains Akello.
She notes: “This was last year
and up until now he has never
physically or verbally abused
me. He is now showing love
towards me and our children.”
Odindo observes that
the PIK project has been
instrumental in working with
various stakeholders including
religious leaders to end GBV
and to promote peace.
Important role
Pastor Odindo, who is
also the Nyando sub-county
coordinator for the PIK project,
notes that the church can play
an important role in preventing
and responding to violence.
According to Odindo, he
holds one-on-one counselling
sessions with individuals or
families, and if need be also
organises group meetings with
other religious leaders on how
to deal with Gender Based
Violence.
“We hold monthly pastors’
caucus meeting which is an
avenue that I use to sensitize
and empower fellow pastors
from other churches within
the community on how they
can address GBV,”says Odindo.
As a result of this, other
pastors always consult him
when faced with GBV cases.
They also invite him to minister
to their congregation on matters
concerning Gender Based
Violence.
ISSUE 12