Lobbyists want government to declare GBV, femicide national crisis

Lobby organisation officials addressing the press at the FIDA - Kenya offices in Nairobi on May 20, 2026.

A coalition of women’s rights groups, lawyers and student leaders has piled pressure on President William Ruto to declare gender-based violence and femicide a national crisis, warning that Kenya is losing “one woman or girl every day” to killings linked to violence against women.

The lobbyists, speaking during a joint press briefing on Wednesday, said the country was facing a worsening wave of femicide and abuse targeting women and girls, with many victims allegedly killed by intimate partners or family members.

The organisations included Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya, Law Society of Kenya, Centre for Rights Education and Awareness, Siasa Place, Kenya University Students Leaders and more than 10 other civil society organisations working in gender justice spaces.

According to FIDA Kenya, 35 out of the 70 weekly cases reported to the organisation this year across its three offices are directly linked to physical and sexual gender-based violence committed by intimate partners.

The groups also cited an April 2026 report by Amnesty International Kenya indicating that at least eight femicide cases are reported every week in the country.

“This means about one woman or girl is killed every day in Kenya,” the lobbies said.

They noted that women aged between 18 and 35 account for 59 per cent of all femicide cases nationally, with many of the victims being students in higher learning institutions.

The organisations argued that most victims had previously reported abuse or sought help from family members, police officers or community leaders, only to be ignored or referred to informal dispute resolution mechanisms.

They further raised concern that femicide is not recognised as a standalone crime in Kenya, saying most killings are recorded simply as homicide cases without acknowledging the gender-based motive behind them.

“As a result, it becomes impossible to properly track the crisis,” the lobby groups said, adding that many survivors and families of victims are yet to receive justice.

While acknowledging President Ruto’s decision to establish the Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, whose report was launched in January this year, the groups faulted the government for allegedly failing to implement key recommendations.

Among the recommendations they want urgently acted on is the declaration of GBV and femicide as a national disaster.

The groups have now issued the government with a 40-day ultimatum to act or face nationwide protests and court action.

Their demands include the establishment of a GBV fund, rapid response systems for survivors and victims’ families, a national anti-GBV campaign, and accountability measures within the National Police Service.

They also want police to provide updates on specialised GBV and femicide units, including how evidence is collected and preserved, progress of investigations and action taken against perpetrators.

The lobby groups warned that failure to act within the timeline would expose what they termed as a lack of commitment by state agencies to protect women and girls.

If no action is taken, they said they will organise peaceful nationwide protests led by women’s groups, civil society organisations and supporters across the country, while also filing a Strategic Interest Litigation case to compel the state to fulfil its legal obligations.

“Every delay means another tragedy that could have been avoided,” the groups warned.