More than 150 cases of violence against children have been registered in Trans Nzoia County since the beginning of this year.
These cases occur inform of defilement, child abuse, rape, sexual assault and other related violences.
This is according to reports from the Children Protection Unit domiciled in Kitale Police Station.
Janet Ambani the officer in charge of the unit said that majority of the cases are attributed to single parenting and poverty.
“Many children lose focus whenever their parents part ways, such children are violated and some of such incidences are never reported,” Ambani said.
The police officer reported that the rise in violence against children in Trans Nzoia is attributed some rogue Boda Boda riders who take advantage of girls from humble backgrounds.
She said some girls are given as low as 100 or 200 shillings are they are in for the demands of the money donor.
“Some riders in this county who promise goodies to girls who can’t afford basic needs and end up violating them sexually,” she said.
Ambani revealed that some of the cases are lost in court due to poverty, whereby they are convinced not to appear in a court of law.
“You find that sometimes the victims of these violences do not appear in court, that is how we lose the case,” Ambani added.
She called on all stakeholders in Trans Nzoia County to educate children on their rights and to ensure that cases of violence against children are reported.
On her part, Trans Nzoia Women Leaders chairperson Immaculate Shamala asked the County Assembly of Trans Nzoia to set aside some funds to be used in the fight against Sexual and Gender-Based violence.
“I challenge our honourable members of our county assembly to give us a shoulder to lean on in this fight by creating GBV kitty,” Shamala said.
According to statistics from Trans Nzoia County department of health, over 11,000 cases of teenagers were impregnated in Trans Nzoia in 2020.
This prompted Interior CS Dr. Fred Matiang’i to ban night vigil services famously known as disco matanga in Trans Nzoia County.
