The Government of Kenya, through the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action under the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services, together with UN Women and development papartners have pledged to accelerate the implementation of recommendations aimed at tackling gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide, as officials called for stronger coordination, legal reforms and increased investment in survivor support.
The commitment followed a two-day National Consultative Forum convened by the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action under the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services and UN Women Kenya. The meeting brought together national and county government officials, lawmakers, the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, civil society groups, faith leaders, youth representatives, academics, survivors and private sector stakeholders.
Held under the theme “Translating TWG Recommendations into Measurable Outcomes and Sustained Actions (Pamoja Dhidi ya Dhulma ya Kijinsia: Wakati ni Sasa!)”, the forum focused on developing a roadmap to implement recommendations made by the Presidential Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence, including femicide.
Speaking on behalf of Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services, Principal Secretary Anne Wang’ombe said the government remained committed to ending gender-based violence through stronger institutional coordination, legal reforms, survivor-centred services, prevention programmes and improved accountability.
She said the government had already approved key legislative and policy measures, was working to establish Gender-Based Violence Protection Centres and was strengthening collaboration with county governments to improve prevention and response systems.
UN Women Kenya Country Representative Antonia N’Gabala-Sodonon said recent femicide cases underscored the urgency of preventing violence before it occurs.
Citing findings from the Socio-Cultural Analysis of Femicide in Kenya supported by UN Women, she said femicide is driven by harmful gender norms, unequal power relations, economic pressures, perceptions of male entitlement, substance abuse, weak accountability and the normalization of violence against women and girls.
“While we confront perpetrators, we must also confront the beliefs, silences and systems that allow violence to persist. The evidence consistently shows that what works best is shifting harmful social norms before violence escalates,” N’Gabala-Sodonon said.
She called for greater engagement of men and boys in prevention efforts, stronger community leadership, ethical media reporting, improved data systems and expanded survivor-centred services integrated into health, social protection and justice systems.
UN Women reaffirmed its support for Kenya through research, policy development, programmes aimed at changing harmful social norms, strengthening survivor support services and promoting accountability.
Participants said effective implementation of the technical working group’s recommendations would require stronger legal and policy frameworks, better data collection, increased funding for survivor services, enhanced prevention initiatives and closer coordination between national and county governments.
The Witness Protection Agency urged the integration of witness protection measures into legal and policy frameworks, saying stronger referral systems and regional cooperation were critical for investigating and prosecuting GBV and femicide cases, including those linked to organised and transnational crime.
The National Gender and Equality Commission called for evidence-based interventions, improved survivor support systems and stronger accountability, while participants emphasized the need for better research and data to understand the drivers of violence and assess the effectiveness of interventions.
The forum concluded with stakeholders committing to accelerate implementation of the recommendations, strengthen partnerships and advance measures aimed at protecting women and girls, supporting survivors and holding perpetrators accountable in efforts to eliminate gender-based violence and femicide in Kenya.
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