Survivors of gender based violence in Nandi speak out

For every child, puberty is not only a transition into adulthood but a transformative stage for boys and girls.

This is a watershed phase when a child begins to define their gender role and responsibility in the community, and it is crucial to achieving their educational dreams.

But Joyline’s innocence was stolen at the age of 16 when she was sexually abused by a neighbor.

She was forced to bear the pain of living with the man who defiled her as she juggled motherhood.

“It was a tragedy that is etched in my mind to date. My mother was helpless and could not afford to pursue justice for me. She had no money, and no one could help us. In fact, she gave in to those who wanted me to marry a criminal,” she narrated.

At her home on the edge of Kosoiwo Estate, three kilometres south of Nandi Hills town, Joyline spoke to The Standard about her teenage pregnancy, health complications, and the security threats her family faced after the incident.

We have changed her name to protect her identity.

“How can one stay with a man who defiled or raped her? That was the situation I was subjected to when my mother succumbed to pressure from elders who took me to live with the man who impregnated me. This was to prevent me from seeking legal redress. They were waiting for me to give birth so they could proceed with the engagement process,” said Joyline, claiming that they took advantage of her family’s poverty and donated a cow to appease her distraught mother.

She narrated that it was safer to stay with the man who defiled her than at home: “Actually, I was held hostage to prevent me from taking legal action until I delivered through C-section. I gave birth prematurely, three weeks early than expected, in 2018.”

Luckily, she escaped the forced marriage three months after giving birth, but she still carries the burden of regret and pain for failing to achieve her academic dream and justice.

Joyline, a single mother of one, who will be turning 25 years in June, says she has accepted what she went through but cannot stomach gender-based violence against women and children.

The story of Florida Mobegi is different from Joyline’s. Mobegi lost her parents, and after completing KCPE in 2013, she left her home in Kakamega and travelled to Nandi County, where she was a domestic worker.

“I later worked in the tea estates as a tea picker. I met a man, and within no time, love was in the air, and we settled together. But a year later, things turned sour, and beatings and threats became the order of the day. Our come-we-stay marriage became toxic,” she said.

Her husband, also a labourer at one of the multinationals in the region, brutally assaulted her one morning and broke her two teeth.

“I had no place to run to with my two children. He was the same ruthless man who took me to the hospital and then brought me back to his house. No one could welcome me back in Kakamega since my three siblings were no longer at home, and any attempt to report the matter could have been the end of my life,” said Mobegi.

She is now a vegetable vendor in Nandi Hills town, a business that has sustained her family since she parted ways with her husband in 2016.

Joyline and Mobegi’s stories are not only classic examples of gender-based violence but also expose gaps in the fight for the rights and justice of women and children. There are no rescue centres to offer security and legal assistance to affected vulnerable groups in the community.

This informed the establishment of a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) health centre at Nandi Hills Hospital in Nandi County. The Sh6 million state-of-the-art project, funded by Eastern Produce Kenya (EPK), will serve GBV victims. It will provide services including medical examination, laboratory tests, and protection for affected persons.

The prevalence of GBV in the community is alarming, and cases have been consistently surging over the last decade.

According to the county health reports on sexual and gender-based violence data, 123 GBV cases were recorded in 2018. The number escalated to 612 in 2021, 1,012 in 2023, and 1,064 incidents in 2025.

EPK Operations Manager Noel Smith said that for too long, GBV victims have been left on their own even after reporting their cases, which has undermined investigations and court proceedings.

“We considered the community’s proposal to have a GBV clinic to secure victims and provide special medical attention for children and adults. This will go a long way in enhancing the provision of justice by offering legal support and security for victims within the facility,” he said.

Nandi Hills Hospital Superintendent Ibrahim Hussain said the facility has equipped laboratories, recovery rooms, a pharmacy, and children’s playrooms. It also offers legal and medical consultations to patients.

“The clinic is designed to offer special treatment to both genders in a dignified manner. We understand that many cases affecting men are not reported, not because they are immune to GBV, but because they are restrained by social norms. There is privacy when handling their cases,” he assured.

Furthermore, an anti-gender-based violence campaign has kicked off in Nandi, simply dubbed ‘Tweku, Akase!’ — which loosely translates to “Speak out, I am listening!” — to sensitise community members on legal measures to take against perpetrators.