Hanna Cheptumo to lead Gender Ministry as CS amid GBV crisis, femicide cases

Hannah Wendot who has been nominated as Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture the Arts and Heritage. (Photo: Courtesy)

By Maureen Kinyanjui
Wednesday, March 26, 2025

If MPs approve her appointment, she will be tasked with addressing gender-related issues and implementing policies to curb GBV across the country.

Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, the widow of the late Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, has been nominated for a Cabinet Secretary position.

President William Ruto, through Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, announced Cheptumo's nomination to lead the Ministry of Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage.

More To Read

If approved by the National Assembly, Cheptumo will assume the role in a ministry that has remained without a substantive Cabinet Secretary since August 2024.

This follows the National Assembly Committee on Appointments' decision to reject Stella Soi Lang'at’s nomination for the position.

“The President has congratulated the nominees on their nominations and conveyed his best wishes as they undergo the requisite parliamentary approval process in fulfilment of the legal requirements set under our Constitution,” Koskei stated.

Lang’at’s nomination was rejected after the committee ruled that she failed to convince MPs of her suitability for the role. The report, which was adopted by the entire House, indicated that she lacked adequate knowledge of the key issues related to the ministry.

“The nominee is unsuitable for the position to which she was nominated as she was unable to respond in a satisfactory manner to the queries raised during the approval hearing relating to Gender, Heritage and Culture,” the report said.

The Ministry of Gender plays a crucial role in shaping national policies on gender equality, cultural preservation, and the arts.

The appointment of a new CS comes at a time when the country is grappling with rising cases of gender-based violence (GBV).

Government data indicates that since September 2023, there have been 7,107 reported cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) across the country.

Additionally, between August and November 2024, 100 women were murdered in what was described as a worrying surge in femicide.

In November last year, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who has been acting in the Gender docket, acknowledged the increase in femicide cases, with Nairobi County recording the highest number of incidents, while Samburu and Mandera counties reported the lowest.

The crisis has led to calls for urgent intervention, with a petition being submitted to Parliament urging President Ruto to declare femicide and GBV a national disaster.

The petition, filed by Kenya University Student Association President Antony Manyara, cited Article 119 of the Constitution, which allows citizens to petition Parliament on matters of public concern.

“The National Assembly should swiftly and expeditiously address the surging cases of femicide and gender-based violence in Kenya in accordance with Article 119,” read the petition.