Government, UN Women and Partners Unite to Accelerate Action On Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Femicide in Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya, 27 July 2026 – The Government of Kenya, through the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action under the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services, UN Women Kenya and partners concluded a two-day National Consultative Forum on the implementation of the Presidential Technical Working Group (TWG) Recommendations on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), including Femicide, with a renewed commitment to translate recommendations into measurable, coordinated and adequately financed action.

Convened under the theme "Translating TWG Recommendations into Measurable Outcomes and Sustained Actions (Pamoja Dhidi ya Dhulma ya Kijinsia: Wakati ni Sasa!)", the forum brought together national and county governments, Parliament, the Judiciary, law enforcement agencies, development partners, civil society organizations, academia, survivors, faith-based organizations, youth representatives, and the private sector to develop a practical roadmap for implementation.

Speaking on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action, Ms. Anne Wang'ombe, reaffirmed the Government's commitment to ending GBV and femicide and accelerating implementation of the TWG recommendations through strengthened coordination, legal reforms, survivor-centred services, prevention programmes, and improved accountability mechanisms.

The Principal Secretary highlighted ongoing government action, including the approval of key legislative and policy instruments, efforts to establish Gender-Based Violence Protection Centres, enhanced collaboration with county governments, and initiatives aimed at strengthening prevention and response systems across the country.

Addressing the forum, UN Women Kenya Country Representative, Ms. Antonia N'Gabala-Sodonon, emphasized that recent cases of femicide continue to demonstrate the urgent need for collective action to prevent violence before it occurs.

Drawing on findings from the Socio-Cultural Analysis of Femicide in Kenya, supported by UN Women, she noted that femicide often occurs at the intersection of harmful gender norms, unequal power relations, economic stress, 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," said Ms. N'Gabala-Sodonon.

She underscored the need to engage men and boys as partners in prevention, strengthen community leadership, ensure ethical media reporting, improve data systems, and expand survivor-centred services integrated within broader health, social protection and justice systems.

UN Women reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Government of Kenya and partners through evidence generation, policy support, social norms change interventions, strengthening survivor-centred responses, and promoting accountability.

Participants emphasized that implementing the TWG recommendations will require stronger legal and policy frameworks, improved data systems, greater investment in survivor-centred services, enhanced prevention efforts, engagement of men and boys, sustainable financing, accountability, and strengthened coordination across national and county institutions.

The Witness Protection Agency highlighted the critical role of witness protection in strengthening accountability and ensuring successful investigation and prosecution of GBV and femicide cases. The Agency called for the integration of witness protection measures into policy and legislative frameworks, stronger referral mechanisms, and enhanced regional collaboration to address emerging forms of violence linked to organized and transnational crimes.

The National Gender and Equality Commission, underscored the importance of evidence-driven interventions, strengthened prevention efforts, improved survivor support systems and enhanced accountability. Participants further emphasized the need for strengthened data collection and research to better understand the drivers of violence and measure the effectiveness of interventions.

The consultative forum concluded with a shared commitment among stakeholders to accelerate coordinated action, strengthen partnerships, and advance concrete measures that protect women and girls, support survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and contribute to a Kenya free from all forms of gender-based violence, including femicide.