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Memorandum Submitted to the Technical Working Group on Gender Based Violence
The Defender Coalition, EndFemicideKE and Ni Mama Network to Submit a memo to the Taskforce Against GBV
Kenya is grappling with a silent yet lethal epidemic of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide—an atrocity that extends beyond legal deficiencies to a moral and human rights crisis. In response to this alarming reality, Defenders Coalition has officially submitted a memorandum to the Taskforce Against GBV, outlining urgent policy recommendations to combat GBV and ensure justice for survivors.
Despite existing legal frameworks such as the Sexual Offences Act and the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act, the state’s failure to enforce these laws has left marginalized groups—young mothers, female sex workers, refugees, and women in informal settlements—particularly vulnerable. Survivors continue to face secondary victimization in institutions meant to protect them, while the absence of a centralized GBV and femicide data system obscures the true scale of the crisis, hindering meaningful policy reforms.
The statistics are harrowing: between 2020 and 2024, over 500 women were murdered, often by intimate partners or family members. The 2024 Kenya Police Annual Crime Report revealed a 35% rise in femicide cases compared to 2023, yet conviction rates remain below 10%. The economic toll of GBV is equally devastating, costing Kenya approximately 1.2% of its GDP annually due to healthcare expenses, productivity losses, and legal service costs.
Through this memorandum, Defenders Coalition, EndFemicideKE and Ni Mama Network calls for bold, systemic interventions, including:
It is time for Kenya to move beyond rhetoric to action. We urge the government and all stakeholders to adopt our recommendations and take decisive steps to end GBV and femicide in Kenya.