The number of Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases reported in various health facilities in Elgeyo Marakwet County rose from 234 in 2023 to 322 in 2024.
The Officer in charge of Reproductive Health in the county, Jonathan Tanui, explained that a total of 266 Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) survivors were recorded last year compared to 203 in 2023, adding that 236 of the cases were reported within 72 hours of undergoing SGBV while 189 were reported within the same time in 2023.
Speaking during a GBV workshop in Iten, Tanui said despite the increase in numbers of the reported cases, he feared there were many more that went unreported, considering that those that reached health facilities were only those that required treatment.
He pointed to cases that came to light through the media, many of them days after they happened, explaining that failure to report immediately complicated the handling of the cases.