Mugo Njeru
16 July 2008
Nairobi — Rapists should not be given amnesty, the Waki commission of inquiry was Tuesday told.
Instead, the commission was asked to recommend to President Kibaki immediate prosecution of those who raped or committed other forms of gender-based violence and are still on the run.
Ms Regina Karega, the chairperson of the National Commission on Gender and Development, told the commission sitting at Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, that all the culprits should be charged by December 28.
Face the law
Both the murderous gangs and uniformed officers who committed the atrocities should face the law without discrimination, Ms Karega, who gave the recommendations on behalf of 40 organisations which deal with Gender Based Violence (GBV), said.
"We recommend immediate provision of security to the victims, mainly women, who are here and are willing to give an account of what they went through," she told the commission.
Women, some elderly, from Mathare and Kibera slums sat pensively through the proceedings as they waited to recall the atrocities.
"Twenty women have gone public before and have now expressed the desire to testify before this commission of inquiry," said Ms Millicent Obaso, a GBV programme officer with Care International, an NGO.
Ms Obaso said of the cases they had already handled, 76 per cent were rapes committed in full view of other members of the family.
She told the commission of a case where a woman, her daughter and daughter-in-law were gang-raped in Nairobi's Mathare slums in January.
"When the man came and saw what had happened, he said that was the end of his family as it was a taboo to live with a woman he had seen being rape. He walked out on the woman and married another," she said.
"These victims are traumatised and others have been infected with HIV. We are urging the commission to ensure strong evidence was obtained so that these perpetrators do not escape," she added.
Although she did not have the total number of the victims, she said some records are at Nairobi Women's Hospital, Kenyatta National Hospital and the Amref Hospital in Kibera where they sought treatment.
Fida-Kenya executive director Jane Onyango told of a 45-year-old woman in Mathari slums who on January 1, was accosted by a gang of about 20 young men who raped her in turns.
"When she came to, she found herself at Kenyatta Hospital. She did not know how she got there," she said.
"Another is a 33-year-old woman whose husband sodomised her telling her he regretted having married from her tribe. He then threw her out of her house but left the kids behind," Ms Onyango told the hushed hall.
Scores of men were also sodomised but were too traumatised to go public, she said.
During Tuesday's hearings, three witnesses who represented organisations which collected data on the violence accused the police and the General Service Unit of being among the perpetrators.
Other recommendations are the implementation of the Sexual Offences Act, integrate conflict resolution in the school and colleges syllabi and open mobile courts to deal with gender based violence.
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Kibaki did not order for mass action (mass rapes) direct your anger towards the right people. I think during the mayem you were saying that it is the right of people to riot but you didnt spare a thought for the victims of those riots eh
No amensty for RAPE! Africa will never heal the wounds of the past if crimes like this are not dealt with. Why should they get a free pass for the destruction of life. The mental, physical, emotional scars of rape last forever. It will take severl generations for forgiveness to really happen. How can a government be so lax regarding this issue. I understand in Africa that once a woman is raped she is basically an outcast from her home and community when she is a victim. The rape of children is enough to make on sick beyond belief. I read that in South Africa of a rape of an infant, because of the miss information regarding the treatment of aids. Humanity has lost something when the innocent are not protected. No to the free pass for these criminals. Let the victims have justice according to the laws of that land. It's hard for me to believe that anyone could even ask for amensty, they had a choice not to rape. It seems this has been a regular part of the routine for these men. Save the people, save Africa! No Amensty!
The Gatekeeper
NO PARDON ! NO AMNESTY ! Severe punishment to these low lifes ! Lock them up and through away the key for at least 10 years, that will teach them a lesson. Raping defensless women ! They are notheing less than spine-less cowards.
/Z
My sisters in Kenya I stand with you and will hold you up...no amnesty for rapist and those that committed these heinous atrocities against humanity.
Women that have been raped and men that have been sodomized need unequivocal justice. We must prosecute the perpetrators at all cost and let Kibaki take full responsiblity for this mayhem and crisis he sank Kenya in. I support you with all my heart and will stand with you where ever I am in the world.