President Uhuru Kenyatta issues directives on increased cases of gender-based violence during Covid-19

President Kenyatta ordered a probe into the increased number of gender-based violence cases (Photo: PSCU/Standard)

In his address on the country's way forward in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday 6 July directed the National Crime Research Centre to probe the increasing number of cases of gender-based violence that have rocked the nation.

This comes after domestic and sexual violence cases soared in the wake of the pandemic. The safety measures that the Government put in place to help curb the spread of the virus saw many lose their source of livelihood, schools closed, families restricted to the confines of their homes and the curfews enforced. The ensuing stress has taken its toll on many Kenyans leading to an increase in violence in the home with women and girls as victims.