Kenya govt indemnifies election sex assault victims
Kenya has paid compensation to four women victims of sexual violence that erupted after the 2007 elections, in the first payment of its kind in the country, rights groups said on Friday.
Rights groups found at least 900 people had suffered sexual assaults, including gang rape and castration, during the wave of post-election violence that swept across the country more than a decade ago.
In 2020, a High Court ordered the government to pay compensation to four women, with rights groups confirming on Friday that in a "historic" move officials had released funds amounting to roughly $31,000 to each victim.
"This signals a shift where state responsibility has been acknowledged," said Demas Kiprono, Deputy Executive Director at the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya, one of the groups involved.
"It gives hope to other victims of violations during conflict, or even during any other time, that they have human dignity and the government has a responsibility," he told AFP.
"This is really a break from the past, towards reparation, towards restoration," he added.
The victims -- who all requested anonymity -- expressed gratitude for the decision, despite the long wait.
"I thought I would die without seeing this money and justice being served," said one, communicating through her lawyer.
Another said simply: "I have no words to express my joy."
The ruling marks a "significant step forward", said the coalition, which includes the ICJ, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and Physicians for Human Rights.
But, in a statement, it said that more work remains to be done, notably in regards to the hundreds of others assaulted during the violence.
In the 2020 ruling, the court dismissed the cases of another four people -- two women and two men -- as they had been "assaulted by non-state actors". The case is currently under appeal.
Following the 2007 violence, the International Criminal Court indicted the then-President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto for crimes against humanity, but both cases collapsed when witnesses failed to testify.
Sexual violence continues to be endemic in Kenya, with women marching last year against femicide in the country. Police fired tear gas at the protesters.
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