By Samuel Ouma
Kenya is facing a growing crisis of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide, with new figures revealing a grim trend that has alarmed human rights defenders and the public alike.
Between January and March 2025, a staggering 129 women were murdered, according to a report released by the National Police Service and the National Crime Research Center on April 9, 2025. In 2024 alone, 579 femicide deaths were recorded across the country.
Civil society organizations, led by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), have condemned the killings as a “state failure to protect women and prosecute perpetrators,” citing widespread inaction and complicity by law enforcement agencies.
“Law enforcement remains complicit, either through inaction, blaming victims, or outright collusion with abusers,” stated the joint statement issued by KHRC and partner organizations.
“This crisis reflects systemic impunity and a failure of the justice system.”
The violence has particularly affected informal settlements and rural areas, where limited access to justice, poor infrastructure, and socio-economic vulnerabilities have left women exposed.
Despite the existence of legal protections — such as the Sexual Offences Act and the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act — enforcement is weak and often undermined by corruption and cultural stigma.
“Under international law and Kenya’s Constitution, the state has a duty to prevent gender-based violence, protect victims, investigate crimes, and hold perpetrators accountable. Yet, this duty is being neglected.”
In response to the mounting crisis, civil groups have issued a five-point demand to the government aimed at strengthening legal, investigative, and psychological support systems for survivors and their families.
One of their key calls is for femicide to be formally recognized as a distinct offence under the Penal Code.
“This is critical to ensure legal clarity and strengthen the judicial response to gender-based killings,” the statement stated.
Other urgent demands include: dedicated funding for forensic investigations and police training on preserving evidence, the creation of a specialized prosecutorial unit for GBV to fast-track cases and minimize opportunities for corruption, mandatory and regular publication of femicide statistics by the National Police Service to improve transparency and accountability and establishment of trauma counselling services at all police stations for GBV survivors, as well as mental health support for law enforcement officers.
In light of growing pressure, the government has set up a task force to address femicide and GBV, but civil society organizations argue that this is not enough without legislative reforms and accountability mechanisms.
