Police quelling violent scenes during the chaotic period after the August elections. The men in uniform have been accused of rape. [Photo/Human rights watch]
The Human Rights Watch now wants the government to establish a commission of inquiry to look into sexual violence in the August 8 General Elections.
In their report, the organization says there was widespread sexual abuse perpetrated by the police.
The 31-page report says there were gang rapes from the men in uniform and ‘men in uniform’ with dreadlocks.
According to the report, many of the victims failed to report cases of abuse due to lack of confidence in the police and fear of stigma.
The report, however, does not give the numbers of the victims of sexual violence, but 68 women and 3 men from Mathare, Dandora Kisumu and Bungoma were interviewed during the research.
The commissioners are now calling for the charging of sexual abuse perpetrators and address the needs of the victims.
“…The cases we were perpetrated by the police or men in uniform. Some of the survivors say they were raped by men in uniform with dreadlocks and others say they were reaped by ordinary Kenyans,” said senior women’s rights researcher Agnes Odhiambo.
“…many of the women that we interviewed still have physical injuries, some so serious that they are not even able to walk with others having stopped going to work,” she added.
These cases happened after the August election, which was disputed leading to traces of chaos in some parts of the country.