NAIROBI, Kenya – President William Ruto’s Special Adviser on Women’s Rights, Harriette Chiggai, has raised alarm over what she describes as society’s neglect of the boy child, warning that the imbalance is fueling gender-based violence (GBV) against women and girls.
Speaking on Saturday during International Women’s Day, Chiggai said boys are increasingly being sidelined in societal progress, leading to consequences that could destabilize future generations.
She pointed to disturbing statistics, revealing that Nairobi alone recorded 1,646 cases of sodomy in 2024.
If similar trends are reflected across the country’s 47 counties, she warned, Kenya could face a crisis in the coming years.
“For purposes of analysis, let’s reduce the number to 1,000 cases per county. That means 47,000 boys are raped every year. Multiply that by 10 years, and you will have no men left to sustain society,” she cautioned.
Chiggai argued that the prioritization of girls’ empowerment has left boys behind, creating a dangerous divide.
“Teachers are telling us that when they give out tasks, it’s the girls who step up, while boys take a backseat. This is because we have failed the boys—we have failed to remind them that they are also kings. Instead, we are fostering hostility between the sexes,” she said.
She called for a shift in approach, urging society to value and support boys as much as girls to foster a balanced and healthy future.
“In our neighbourhoods, we have forgotten that parenting is a collective responsibility. We chase away other people’s children instead of mentoring them. We have become a bad society,” she lamented.
Her remarks came as the world marked International Women’s Day under the theme “For all women and girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment.”
The annual event, championed by UN Women, highlights the need for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
This year’s celebrations also coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark global commitment to advancing women’s rights.
