An international human rights group has now turned to churches to create awareness on sexual violence and other challenges plaguing the Kenyan society.
The International Justice Mission, an organisation that protects the poor from violence, has started a programme dubbed ‘Freedom Sunday’ that involves churches to create awareness.
Under the programme that kicked off in September, preachers use the pulpit to discuss current social and political affairs.
On Sunday, officials attended Nyali Baptist Church in Mombasa led by Rev Linda Ochola who leads church partnerships under IJM Kenya.
Ochola’s sermon challenged the church to stand up against everyday violence and injustices.
She told congregants the high prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence in all parts of the country was concerning.
A situational analysis report on teen pregnancies in Kenya released by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (Fawe) last month indicates that pregnancies among girls aged 15 to 18 years stands at 27.4 per cent.
The counties worst affected are Narok ( 43.3 per cent), Kajiado ( 35.6 per cent) and Turkana 34.2 per cent), while counties with the lowest teenage pregnancy rates are Nyeri ( six per cent), Nyandarua ( eight per cent), and Murang’a ( 9.2 per cent).
The report further indicates about 18.6 per cent of girls are currently in child marriages and that the vice was most prominent in Garissa at 43 per cent, followed by Turkana at 38 per cent, Nairobi ( 22 per cent), and Meru ( 14 per cent).
About three per cent of boys below the age of 18 were also in early marriages.
“The Kenyan church needs to wake up and take action. We must gather our thinkers, leaders and experts to diagnose society’s ills and propose solutions as guided by the Holy Spirit,” Ochola said.
She said gaps in the justice system allow offenders to act with impunity while suffering minimal repercussions and deny victims justice.
Many women and children live without protection from sexual violence and lack the necessary support.
The pastor further cited the nationwide protests sparked by the Finance Bill 2024 that saw scores of Kenyans lose their lives while numerous protesters were abducted.
In Mombasa, four people were
arraigned in Shanzu Law Courts in
September after being accused of
abducting a blogger from his home
and sodomising him.
