Lobby raises alarm as rapists target elderly women in Taita Taveta

Women in Taita Taveta have condemned the rising cases of rape of elderly women in  the county.

Sauti ya Wanawake Pwani lobby group said such crimes continue to deny women a chance to realise their rights.

Recently, a 71-year-old woman was raped by unknown people in Lushangonyi village, Wundanyi Sub-County and died while receiving treatment at Coast General Hospital in Mombasa.

The perpetrators are yet to be arrested.

“The police should immediately conduct a thorough search to arrest the assailants. We cannot continue to lose lives of women due to rape,”  said the group’s secretary in the county, Makrina Mwamburi.

In the last two years, three other elderly women have lost their lives in the hands of rapists.

Another official, Lydia Mwamburi, said the perpetrators were well known but residents feared they would be attacked if they reported them to the police.

“We talked to some residents who told us that they fear revealing the names of the suspects. The police must put in place  measures to ensure that such informers are protected,” she said.

The officials also called for more police stations to set up desks for victims of gender based violence to enable them to easily report such crimes.