Author: Mulika Team

I have always had a soft spot for technology since it has immensely simplified my life. Thus, I am always quick to try out new applications and after some time, those applications become a part of me I cannot do without. My new found love is the MULIKA UHALIFU App. For decades, we have tried to come up with means to end Gender Based Violence and more so with means to access response from police within a short time. It has been quite a head throb which I believe after so long, we have a solution, Mulika Uhalifu App.

I will be sharing with you why you need to have this application on your phone or gadgets as a means to end Gender Based Violence, however, allow me to go back on some GBV issues that will benefit largely with this application.

Physical Violence has for a long time terrorized our community especially wife/husband battery. Statistics show that one in every 3 women and one in four men have been victims of physical violence by their spouses. Recently, we have received a flood of cases of people who have died in the hands of their spouses. Others incur fatal injuries from their spouse that leave them completely paralyzed for the rest of their lives.

Most of us tend to keep our noses clean when we hear our neighbors in agonizing cry when they are being abused by their spouses. We think it’s better to keep away from such couples as meddling in their affairs will only burn us. Not to say that it was a bad decision, however, how many times have we kept quiet and the agonizing cries we used to hear become forgotten because the victim was one night found dead? OR if there was anything worse than death, our cheerful neighbor becomes a walking corpse because her dignity and honor were taken away and let’s not forget the bones broken and the painful wounds being nursed.

A lot goes on when we think of helping someone in dire predicaments while still remaining anonymous especially in cases of Wife/husband battery. One of the things I love about Mulika Uhalifu is that you can help your neighbor and still remain anonymous.

Here is why you need to have this application:

1. The system sends information in a reversed pyramid way. By this I mean, when you send any information it goes directly to the topmost police department/officer unlike before where you had to follow a certain protocol in the hierarchy. I find this quite interesting because I don’t have to move from my comfort, with the application I can report any distress without going to an actual police station.
2. Allows you to give a description of your distress and where it is happening. You can attach evidence material like pictures, videos, and I love this idea because most of the time we have incriminating evidence but the thought of going through various departments can be quite exhausting making us tamper with evidence or completely doing away with it. Mulika App allows you to attach any evidentiary material immediately you sending the distress message or reporting.
3. This feature is heaven sent! Whenever you are reporting an incident your identity is protected as it is not disclosed. Therefore the fear of reporting is taken care off thus you can report anything using the app and you are sure that nobody will know it was you.
4. Allows you to be part of maintaining National Security in the country. The phrase Ukiona Sema! Ukisikia Sema! Ukishuku Sema! gives you some sense of authority and obligation towards your security and the security of those around you.

So what if I don’t have a smartphone? That should not make you feel left out because there is also an SMS platform that allows you to send any distress message. The code for the SMS is 22068 and as soon as you have sent the text it is forwarded 5 security chiefs.

Having highlighted that, it is clear that Mulika Uhalifu is a means towards breaking the silence against Gender-Based Violence. We no longer have to hide behind fear and watch as innocent children, women, and men become victims of Gender-Based Violence. There is something we can all do about it.

This post was written by Maryann Wanjiku of Let’s Talk Gender

About Maryann Wanjiku