Kakamega County is set to build a rescue center in Shinyalu for girls who’ve been victims of rape after it emerged it’s the main challenging factor for girls in the region. Moreover, after receiving medication and counselling, the girls have had to go back to the places they were subjected to the barbaric acts, rendering the initial help useless sometimes.
Kakamega’s Shinyalu sub county is known by some to be a notorious region when it comes to the rate of rape cases, and the sad truth is that some perpetrators are close family members.
Speaking at Solyo in Shinyalu, Kakamega Health CEC Ruth Okumu said as the executive, they are coming up with a Bill dealing with such issues that will be presented to the County assembly.
She said that the main challenge they are facing currently is that some of the cases are taking too long in the courts of law and there is no definite penalty that should be administered to the perpetrators. “We are asking our MCAs that once the Bill comes to the house, kindly pass it so that we may handle this vice,” she said.
At the same function, Kenedy Kilwake, a member of the health committee in the Kakamega County assembly revealed that already they have set aside enough money to set up the rescue centre.
He insisted that they are eagerly waiting for the Bill from the executive, which will determine the amount to be set aside in the budget to help fight cases of gender-based violence.
Kilwake encouraged parents and the society to start teaching boys the value of women in the society so that they grow up appreciating the role and position women hold.