Task force warns absence of femicide law hampers justice as 170 women killed by February
The findings were shared during a public engagement forum in Kwale County, where the group also revealed that sexual abuse cases had increased by eight per cent, from 535 cases in 2023 to 578 in 2024.
Femicide cases in Kenya have surged, with at least 170 women reported killed by February 2025, the Presidential Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Femicide says.
The group has warned that the country’s lack of a specific legal framework to address femicide is undermining investigations, prosecutions and efforts to prevent such incidents.
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The task force said that while incidents of femicide continue to surge, the absence of a legal definition or mechanisms to deal with such crimes is a major setback. They called for urgent legislative reforms to classify femicide as a distinct and aggravated form of murder.
“We have done our desk research, and we have noted there is no legal framework or law on femicide. What is defined in the law is murder, and that is in the penal and criminal procedure code,” the task force said.
“We seek to clearly define what constitutes femicide in the country, and by doing so, we will distinguish femicide from the ordinary murder because femicide is an aggravated form of murder.”
Sexual abuse cases
The findings were shared during a public engagement forum in Kwale County, where the group also revealed that sexual abuse cases had increased by eight per cent, from 535 cases in 2023 to 578 in 2024.
The task force estimated that gender-based violence is costing the country approximately Sh40 billion annually.
On gender violence, the task force acknowledged that while there are existing laws, implementation and coordination remain weak. They emphasised the need for proper management and alignment of national and county responses to enhance service delivery for survivors.
“Some of the counties have rescue centres, except for others like Migori County, and therefore we will make recommendations to His Excellency the President so that resources can be channelled to the county to establish those rescue centres,” the group said.
Supporting survivors
They noted that establishing these centres is crucial to supporting survivors and aiding in their rehabilitation at the county level.
Their remarks come just a week after the working group raised concerns over the increasing cases of rape, femicide, mental health challenges and suicide among both women and men.
“We have witnessed many cases that are unreported compared to the ones that are reported. We should report to get statistics, which will aid the government in planning and allocation of resources to the cases,” the group’s chairperson, Anne Ireri, said during a separate forum at Tononoka Social Hall in Mombasa.
In January 2025, President William Ruto appointed former Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza to head the technical working group.
The team was tasked with examining the spike in GBV and femicide cases and recommending policy and legal reforms.
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