NAKURU, Kenya May 18 – Human rights activists in Nakuru have warned that soaring fuel prices could negatively affect millions of families across Kenya, increasing economic hardship and cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Speaking during celebrations to mark the International Day of Families at Kivu Resort, organized by the Reproductive Health Champions Organisation, the group urged the government to utilize money set aside under emergency and stabilization funds to cushion Kenyans from the impact of the fuel price hike.
RHCO Deputy Executive Director Alzira Arodi said the increase in fuel costs would significantly strain household budgets and weaken family cohesion.
“The hiked fuel price is also going to affect the cohesiveness of the family units because it will eat into their disposable income now that fares have been increased by 50 per cent besides the consequent rise in cost of consumables,” she said.
Arodi noted that fuel was not only essential for transport but also a critical factor in manufacturing and agricultural production, meaning the effects would be felt across all sectors of the economy.
She expressed concern that many Kenyans were already struggling financially even before the latest fuel price increase, with some households surviving on a single meal a day.
“The government needs to reflect and see how families can be sustainable. How are people in lower middle income and low-income groups expected to cope without any disposable income?” she posed.
Arodi also called on society to embrace changing family structures and avoid discrimination against non-traditional families.
“The community set-up is changing, families are changing and realities are also changing because unlike before, we now have blended families, single-parent families, grandparent-led families and even street families,” she said.
She criticized policies and leadership structures that exclude certain family set-ups from national discussions, saying such exclusion goes against constitutional principles of equality, dignity, and non-discrimination.
Meanwhile, human rights defender Zain Njenga from the Trans-Sisters Network raised concern over rising cases of child kidnappings, femicide, and domestic violence in Nakuru and surrounding areas.
Njenga said incidents of women being killed in domestic violence cases were becoming alarmingly frequent, citing a recent incident in Bahati where an elderly woman was allegedly killed by her son.
She urged security agencies to intensify efforts to curb the growing cases of violence and protect vulnerable members of society.
