CIVICUS speaks with Fridah Wawira, gender specialist and acting Executive Director of the Coalition on Violence against Women (COVAW), about gender-based violence (GBV) in Kenya and civil society efforts to eradicate it.
COVAW is a Kenyan women’s rights organisation established in 1995 to respond to the lack of action to address GBV and a related issue – the very low number of women in key leadership positions. It works to improve women’s access to comprehensive support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and sexual and reproductive health services, promote women’s economic empowerment and leadership development and ensure equal access to justice. 2024 has seen a spike in incidences of GBV in Kenya, sparking civil society protests.
How big a problem is GBV in Kenya, and what are its main causes?
This has been a particularly difficult year for women and girls in Kenya, with a disturbing increase in GBV cases, particularly femicide. In January alone, 14 femicides were reported. This led to nationwide protests organised by human rights and feminist groups and activists, culminating in a major march on 27 January. In July, 14 dismembered female bodies were discovered in a disused quarry in Mukuru Kwa Njenga.
Perpetrators of GBV are often known to their victims. According to Kenya’s National Crime Research Centre, one woman is killed every 48 hours by an intimate partner or family member. The 2022 Kenya Demographic Health Survey found that 28 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 who had ever been married or had an intimate partner had experienced emotional, physical or sexual violence.
There has also been a significant increase in technology-facilitated GBV, particularly towards women in politics and public life. This has increased despite progressive legislation such as the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act 2018. According to Pollicy’s 2023 Byte Bullies Report, 55.7 per cent of female candidates in the 2022 general election experienced online violence. The recent appointment of Soipan Tuya as Cabinet Secretary for Defence highlights the ongoing challenges faced by women in leadership roles, as she too experienced online violence.
Why is GBV so difficult to address effectively?
Kenya has a comprehensive legal and policy framework to address SGBV but implementation has been weak. The main challenges are insufficient funding to implement GBV laws and policies and lack of access to justice.
COVAW’s study on legal and administrative bottlenecks to justice for SGBV survivors in Kenya found significant delays in the judicial process. For example, by November 2021, under half of sexual offence cases from 2017 had been completed in four of the seven court stations surveyed. In addition, many completed cases had been withdrawn, often due to procedural issues.
Among many others, the case of Sharon Otieno, a university student who was raped and killed in Kodera Forest, remains unsolved seven years later. This leads to frustration and a loss of confidence in the justice system. It also contributes to underreporting and reliance on alternative dispute resolution methods, which often perpetuate impunity and tolerance of SGBV. COVAW urges the judiciary, executive and parliament to implement measures to ensure survivors’ rights are fully realised.
Funding is also a chronic problem. For example, Kenya’s response to its Generation Equality Forum commitments has been lacklustre. The country pledged to invest US$23 million by 2022 and increase funding to US$50 million by 2026 for GBV prevention and response. However, the Auditor General’s performance audit report reveals that only US$8 million, including donor funding, was invested between 2018/2019 and 2021/2022.
This shortfall has slowed the implementation of commitments, such as the establishment of safe houses for GBV survivors in all 47 counties. Currently, there are only five government-owned safe houses and not all are operational.
How is Kenyan civil society working to eradicate GBV?
COVAW, like many other civil society organisations, is playing an active role. Over the years, we have invested in empowering women and girls to claim their rights, providing equitable access to services, resources and opportunities, facilitating greater access to justice for SGBV survivors and supporting people who can promote change who are committed to ending all forms of violence against women and girls.
To achieve this vision, COVAW uses an integrated approach that focuses on supporting evidence-based advocacy, piloting and implementing innovative, high-impact responses to SGBV, providing technical support to women, girls and key people and groups involved in addressing violence against women and girls and supporting mobilisation to increase awareness and activism on women’s and girls’ rights.
In response to the alarming rise in cases of femicide and extrajudicial killings, civil society in Kenya has played a critical role in mobilising and organising people to demand justice. Human rights organisations have uncovered the truth, provided real-time data on the number of victims and called for thorough and prompt investigations and prosecutions. Civil society groups have provided immediate assistance to victims, survivors and their families, including by covering medical expenses, offering free counselling services and providing pro bono legal assistance. Privately owned safe houses are providing much-needed temporary refuge to survivors and women and girls at risk of abuse. This support has been instrumental in providing timely and accessible services to GBV survivors.
What are the challenges faced by grassroots organisations working on GBV and what support do they need?
Grassroots organisations working on GBV face challenges related to security and resources. Leaders of these organisations often face threats and harassment aimed at discouraging their advocacy work. There have been cases of killings, shootings and unlawful abductions of human rights defenders, despite civil society calls for law enforcement bodies to comply with court orders prohibiting the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters. Unfortunately, no action has been taken against those responsible for these acts.
In addition, many grassroots organisations lack funding to address GBV comprehensively. They need flexible budgets to provide timely and life-saving services, such as medical care and rescue operations. However, donors often offer restricted funding, making it difficult to respond effectively.
GBV is deeply rooted in patriarchal norms, so addressing it requires long-term community engagement. Most donors commit to funding for one year or less, which is insufficient to effect lasting changes in social and gender norms.
To improve their response to GBV, organisations like COVAW need access to long-term, unrestricted funding to build their institutional capacity and comprehensively respond to GBV. The Kenyan government must work with civil society to eradicate GBV.
Civic space in Kenya is rated ‘obstructed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor.
Get in touch with COVAW through its website, and follow @covaw on Twitter.
