Elders and religious leaders in Mandera will no longer arbitrate cases of defilement and rape through the traditional Maslaha system and will instead subject offenders to the rule of law. Activists and women leaders have condemned and demanded an end to the system, saying it denied victims their rights. The clerics drawn from the entire Mandera county said other crimes, including killings and inter-clan violence, could still be solved through maslaha. The elders and clerics spoke at a hotel in Mandera town during a symposium that brought together county officials and administrators. “As a community, we need to completely move away from arbitrating some of these vices like rape and defilement using our traditional mechanisms.

Source: The Star July 20, 2020 18:56 UTC