Kenya recorded a total of 10,442 sex-related and gender-based violence cases in the year 2021/2022, a report by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions shows.
Out of these cases, defilement accounted for 5,913 while indecent acts with a child recorded a total of 1,014. Rape came in third with 728 cases.
In terms of the distribution of cases in counties, Rift Valley had highest number of rape and defilement cases at 1,421, Nairobi 1,395, Nyanza 932, Coast 793, Western 723, Eastern 686 and Central 470.
North Eastern region recorded the lowest number of defilement cases, constituting 1 per cent of registered defilement cases.
During the same period, some 2,306 sex-related and gender-based violence cases were withdrawn.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has attributed the withdrawal of cases to witnesses recanting their evidence, poor investigations, victims' ignorance and legal issues.
