SHOFCO, Meru County unite to fight GBV

Meru County and Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) have announced a wide-reaching initiative to combat Gender-Based Violence (GBV), aiming to bring both immediate support to survivors and long-term societal change.

The partnership, unveiled at Kinoru Stadium on Friday before over 6000 community members, SHOFCO and the county will roll out safe spaces, legal aid clinics, mobile response teams, and grassroots sensitization campaigns across the county's wards.

This comes in response to a disturbing rise in GBV cases across Meru, especially in rural areas where survivors often face stigma and lack access to support services.

SHOFCO Founder and CEO Dr. Kennedy Odede, one of Africa’s most respected community organizers, underscored the grassroots spirit of the initiative:

“When a girl is beaten, raped, or denied education, the entire community suffers. At SHOFCO, we believe real change does not come from Nairobi offices, it comes from the people.

“From mothers, from boda boda riders, from chiefs, and especially from youth. This partnership is about giving communities the tools to protect their own. It is about ensuring every woman can walk freely without fear,” Dr. Odede said.

The SHOFCO boss said he is glad that the county has agreed to partner with his organization to deal with GBV menace that is threatening to ruin the lives of women in the county.

“We have seen what is possible when government and grassroots unite. In Kibera, we built the first gender desk in the slum. Now in Meru, we will train local champions, and build a safe house to ensure that every survivor finds a safe space as we deal with perpetrators using the justice system,” he stated.

A 2024 Ipas Africa Alliance report reveals that approximately 88% of women in Meru have experienced some form of GBV, with nearly 66.7% reporting incidents within the past year, and around 34.9% of GBV cases involving killings.

Between January 2024 and May 15, 2025, the police recorded 336 GBV cases in Tigania East (62), Imenti South (59) Buuri East (44) and Tigania West (30) among other sub counties.

Meru is also a hotspot for teenage pregnancies and defilement with over 9,500 teen mothers recorded in 2023 alone and from January to May 2025, about 1,700 pregnancies were reported in Igembe Central.

Speaking during the event at Kinoru Stadium, Governor Muthuma M'Ethingia condemned the silence and normalisation of violence against women and girls.

“Our partnership with SHOFCO is not just symbolic; it is action-oriented, community-led, and survivor-centred.

“No woman or girl should feel unsafe in her home, her school, or her market. As a government, we are putting our budget, our laws, and our voice behind this commitment,” he stated.

The Governor emphasized that the new framework will be integrated into existing county services, including health centers, schools, and policing structures, with trained GBV focal points and caseworkers stationed at sub-county levels.

Governor Muthuma implored on SHOFCO to make Meru a model for other counties on how to fight GBV.

“If we succeed in Meru, and we will, it will be because we put people first. Let every county in Kenya watch what happens when women are protected, children are empowered, and survivors are heard. Let this be our legacy.

“With SHOFCO on board, I’m sure we will make great strides and I promise to put in resources to fight the vice.

During the event at Kinoru Stadium, SHOFCO, under its Shofco Urban Network (SUN) program elected community leaders who will advocate for change in the county.

The leaders elected will act as a link between the community and the government.

SHOFCO currently has over 40,000 SUN members in Meru.

SUN has over six million members countrywide.

Buuri MP Mugambi Rindikiri called on men to take ownership of ending the violence.

“We must speak out, stand up, and stop our perpetrators from causing pain. We need real conversations in our barazas, our churches, and our boda sheds,” he said.

Former Meru Woman Representative Florence Kajuju expressed deep frustration over the epidemic of teen pregnancies and defilement.

“I have seen girls carrying babies when they should be carrying books. This is not just a crisis. It is a betrayal of our daughters.”

“As leaders, we must legislate, allocate, and educate. We need a Meru where girls grow up, not give up,” she said.