Tana River chiefs in a spot for aiding gender-based violence
Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i addressing chiefs and their assistants at Kenya Institute of Highway and Building Technology in Kisii town, in 2018. Tana River activists now want local administrators investigated for abetting violence.
What you need to know:
- Activists in Tana River County want chiefs and their assistants investigated for aiding gender-based violence and child rights abuse.
- They have appealed to the CSs in the ministries of Gender and Internal Security, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the conduct of the chiefs.
Activists in Tana River County want chiefs and their assistants investigated for aiding gender-based violence (GBV) and child rights abuse.
According to the lobbyists, the chiefs frustrate cases presented to them before they get to court. They either bribe police officers to weaken claims or fix the complainants with fake accusations, say the activists.
"We are aware of a female chief who has been frustrating a widow, trying to take away property that her brother (chief’s), husband to the widow, left behind," said Asha Rahman.
Ms Rahman noted that the chiefs were abusing their power, bribing different offices to have their way or thwart cases that involve GBV.
She further revealed that the chiefs have been negotiating cases out of court in favour of the perpetrators for a token, hence frustrating efforts towards justice.
"We have several cases of children who were defiled, but the chiefs liaised with the family to conduct a secret wedding, others were circumcised under the watch of the chiefs," she claimed.
The lobbyists claimed that the chiefs were gaining wealth, both monetary and material including parcels of land, secret affairs, livestock and farm produce.
"We have chiefs with more than 20 parcels of land; where land is grabbed, the chief must be part of the case, and eventually they end up with a portion of the land under conflict," said Mohammed Bule another activist.
Baseless accusations
Mr Bule noted that the chiefs are responsible for the low numbers of FGM cases reported, as they work in cohort with the community and perpetrators.
He added that the chiefs have been spearheading domestic violence as they practice it in their homes in the presence of their children.
"We currently have a chief who is determined to kick his wife and children from his house,” Mr Bule said, adding that the chief has attempted severally to frame the woman with baseless accusations at the police just to intimidate her.
The activists have appealed to the cabinet secretaries in the ministries of Gender and Internal Security, and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the conduct of the chiefs.
They have also called for a lifestyle audit for the chiefs, urging the EACC to carry out an open inquest to make good findings.
