Kenya has been on a long journey in addressing sexual and gender -based violence that occur during election cycles. But there are gaps that must be swiftly addressed. Our task now is to ensure that we take into account structural challenges encountered by survivors in the past such as stigma, insecurity and lack of or inaccessible services, among others, so that planned measures can optimally achieve the intended outcomes of preventing and responding to election-related SGBV in a timely way.
The testimonies shared by survivors of 2007-08 PEV during the conference reminded us that while we are eager to move on as a country, we have forgotten those who bore the brunt of pastor electoral violence. Strengthening our institutions and governance structures can help prevent recurrence of similar violence but it cannot take the place of the much needed acknowledgement and reparation to address the harms suffered by victims.