Hospital: Police transfers derailing war on rape

Kisumu, Kenya: A major referral facility has raised concern over rampant transfer of police officers in the region, saying the move is derailing efforts to contain spiraling rape cases.

Officials at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital are also worried about the high cost of accessing legal justice for Gender Based Violence (GBV) victims.

According to Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri),Kisumu County has witnessed rising cases of rape in the past few months, with 80 per cent of cases being recorded among school going children.

Speaking to The Standard, Kemri's Behavioural Scientist deployed at the referral hospital Caroline Kambona said the institution has been spending a lot of resources to train police officers, only for them to be transferred.

"We are treating the victims but it is important for them to access justice. Since the police have the sole duty of transferring evidence from GBV facilities to Government Chemists, their rampant transfers are derailing our efforts," she said.

"Currently, we have a lot of samples which have not been collected because relevant police officers are not available to collect them. Without this vital evidence, the perpetrators cannot be charged," she added. Kambona noted that once police trained in the unit are transferred, the facility is left with untrained officers who have no passion for handling GBV victims.

She challenged the Government to equip the county with safe houses for the victims. A majority of them return to their homes after treatment, where the perpetrators are still on the loose.

"For children, we can easily take them to children's homes but adults need a well-equipped protection unit where they can be trained and reintegrated back into the community," said Kambona.