NAIROBI, Kenya – The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) has issued an urgent warning over rising gender-based violence (GBV) in Kenya, releasing new data that paints a grim picture of the threats facing women and girls nationwide.
According to the latest findings, nearly half of Kenyan women aged between 15 and 49 — 43 per cent — have suffered violence from intimate partners, while 13 per cent have endured sexual abuse.
NGEC says the numbers expose a widening national crisis that continues to rob women and girls of safety, dignity, and opportunities.
The statistics are part of a new report assessing school-level barriers to girls’ education, particularly in marginalised communities, where harmful cultural practices and weak support systems remain entrenched.
The Commission’s additional data reveals the extent of the problem: 15 per cent of school-going girls have undergone Female Genital Mutilation, 23 per cent are married off before 18, 65 per cent report sexual harassment in public spaces, and 64 per cent face technology-driven abuse such as online harassment, stalking, or non-consensual sharing of images.
Maya Soma, Gender Advisor at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said cultural norms still play a major role in fuelling abuse.
“These practices persist despite strong laws, highlighting the challenge of translating legislation into compliance at the community level,” she said.
While some progress has been recorded in urban counties including Nairobi, Machakos, and Kajiado, NGEC notes that the broader national response remains dangerously inadequate.
Kenya has only 13 functional GBV Recovery Centres across 47 counties and just four public shelters for survivors — a shortfall that significantly hinders timely assistance.
In many areas, the Commission says, fragmented coordination between police, healthcare providers, and social services further obstructs access to justice and support.
The Commission is urging county governments and national agencies to scale up investments in survivor support services, expand safe shelters, strengthen enforcement of existing laws, and work closely with communities to dismantle harmful practices that put women and girls at risk.
“Without sustained policy action and community-level engagement,” NGEC warns, “the cycle of violence will only deepen.”
