Nairobi — Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has reiterated the government's unbowed efforts to fight Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the sports sector.
Murkomen said the newly-formed Gender Protection and Implementation Committee is a critical step towards achieving a GBV-free nation and a safer, fairer sports environment for every one.
"When I appeared before Parliament for my vetting as the Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, I made a solemn vow to fight and end Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in sports," said Murkomen.
The CS was speaking at Talanta Plaza on Monday morning when he inaugurated the committee, which includes four-time Boston Marathon champion Catherine Ndereba and Harambee Starlets midfielder, Essie Akida, among others.
He said the committee have their work cut out as far as eradicating the vice is concerned but nonetheless backed them to deliver.
"They will also be required to facilitate institutional gender analysis and gender audits, provide a safe environment for sports persons to adequately prepare for and participate in sports competitions, assess gender-related initiatives and evaluate their effectiveness with a view of bettering them," Murkomen said.
The committee's inauguration comes on the same day as the '16 Days of Activism against GBV' campaign, which runs until December 10.
The campaign spearheaded by women leaders, advocates for safe homes and safe spaces for women in the society.
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Last week, President William Ruto allocated KSh 100million towards fighting femicide and other forms of GBV.
The committee will consist of an advisory board chaired by the Murkomen -- as the Sports CS -- with principal secretary Peter Tum deputising him.
Apart from Ndereba and Akida, other members of the committee include: Paul Ochieng and Benjamin Wafula, who were members of the 2022 Taskforce on Gender Welfare and Equity in Sports, Barbra Malowa, a representative of Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Elizabeth Wangeci Gichuki and Joyce Kebenei.
The committee secretariat will be headed by Diana Watila as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and includes Catherine Njeri Maina, Lorna Tanui, Fardhosa Boru and Patricia Arisi.
The 14-member committee will be mandated to fully implement the 2022 Report on Gender Welfare and Equity in Sports, which was developed by a committee chaired by Ndereba.
The committee, formed by then Sports CS Amina Mohamed, undertook consultative meetings and surveys with stakeholders across the industry to identify and understand underlying factors of GBV.
It came on the backdrop of the murder of then world record holder for the women's 10km, Agnes Tirop, who was found at her home in Iten with stab wounds -- allegedly from a domestic quarrel with her husband.
Similarly, Damaris Mutua was strangled to death by her boyfriend at their home in Iten in 2022.
A few weeks later, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Mutua was found murdered in her boyfriend's house in Iten, with her Ethiopian lover the main suspect.
