President William Ruto at State House on January 26,2025./PCS
A high-level taskforce has called on Kenya to formally treat gender-based violence (GBV), including femicide, as a national crisis requiring urgent, coordinated action, as President William Ruto on Monday received a report detailing the scale and evolving nature of abuse across the country.
Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during the launch of the report by the Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence on Monday, President Ruto said the findings were “deeply troubling” and reflected the lived realities of survivors.
“This report is more than a technical document; it is a reflection of the voices, fears, and hopes of the Kenyan people, especially survivors of gender-based violence,” he said.
The President commended the taskforce, chaired by former Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza, for conducting nationwide consultations in all 47 counties and engaging survivors, experts, communities and institutions.
He noted that the report lays bare the “scale, complexity, and evolving nature” of GBV, affecting women, men, girls and boys, with women and girls bearing a disproportionate burden.
Ruto said the findings on femicide, domestic violence, harmful cultural practices and technology-facilitated abuse demand national reflection and action.
“The findings on femicide, domestic violence, harmful cultural practices, and technology-facilitated abuse are deeply troubling and demand collective national reflection and action,” he said.
Among the key proposals highlighted in the report are strengthened prevention, investigation and prosecution of GBV cases, including specialised capacity within law enforcement; legislative and policy reforms to improve legal definitions, survivor protection and accountability; and coordinated financing, data systems, survivor-centred services, and nationwide awareness and behavioural change.
“These recommendations speak to the need for institutional coordination, adequate resourcing, and a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response,” the President said, assuring the nation that the proposals would be carefully reviewed.
“All recommendations will be subjected to due process in accordance with our Constitution and laws.”
He said the report would be considered through Cabinet and relevant ministries, departments and agencies to determine policy, legislative and administrative action, with any legal reforms processed through established parliamentary procedures.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to end GBV, President Ruto said violence against any Kenyan is unacceptable.
“Violence rooted in gender, power, or inequality is a betrayal of our Constitution, our values, and our humanity,” he said, calling on families, religious institutions, community leaders, security agencies and citizens to play their role.
“Let this report mark a turning point—from silence to action, from impunity to accountability, and from fear to safety.”
In January 2025, Ruto appointed the 35-member team to tackle the rising cases of GBV and femicide.
The committee was tasked with assessing, reviewing, and recommending measures to strengthen Kenya’s institutional, legal, and policy responses to GBV and femicide.
Its mandate included identifying trends, hotspots, and causes contributing to GBV and femicide through community engagements and proposing amendments to strengthen laws and enforcement mechanisms.
The group was also tasked with examining gaps in resource allocation, operational effectiveness, and training levels within institutions managing GBV-related cases.