Nairobi — Civil society organizations, including Amnesty International Kenya, the ENDFemicideKE Movement, and the #HumanIsMyID Alliance, have called on the Ministry of Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage to urgently submit a Cabinet memorandum to address femicide in Kenya.
In an open letter addressed to Cabinet Secretary Hanna Cheptumo, the groups noted that the 30-day deadline set by President William Ruto for presenting a Cabinet memo on the implementation of the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Technical Working Group report expired on Wednesday.
"We urge your office and that of other Cabinet Secretaries to prioritise this instrument and operationalise the national emergency strategy to reduce the spike in femicide cases," the letter read in part.
The letter was signed by Irungu Houghton, Executive Director of Amnesty International Kenya; Zaha Indimuli, National Coordinator of the ENDFemicideKE Movement; and Zaina Kombo, Convenor of the #HumanIsMyID Alliance.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
The report, chaired by Nancy Baraza, was submitted seven months ago to Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.
The letter highlighted that femicide continues to claim lives, predominantly in domestic settings.
According to a recent report by Odipo Dev, Africa Uncensored and Africa Data Hub titled "Counting the Cost: A Decade of Femicide in Kenya (2016-2025)," over 70 per cent of femicides occur at home, with intimate partners identified as the primary perpetrators. Women are most often stabbed (23 per cent) or strangled (9 per cent).
Civil society groups expressed concern over the slow response from law enforcement agencies and the judiciary, noting that femicide cases in major counties such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Kiambu, Garissa and Kericho take an average of four years to conclude.
They also emphasised that gender-based violence affects men and children, citing the recent case of Steve Godia in Umoja, who suffered severe burns in a domestic attack.
The open letter urged the Cabinet Secretary to prioritise the implementation of the GBV Working Group's recommendations, including declaring femicide a national crisis and mainstreaming gender-responsive budgeting and programming across national and county governments.
Earlier in January, the GBV Technical Working Group recommended that the National Treasury ring-fence Sh50 billion in the 2026/2027 budget to establish a National GBV and Femicide Response Fund.
The proposed fund is intended to provide emergency medical care, counselling, legal aid, witness protection, shelters and economic reintegration support for survivors.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The task force also called for the establishment of one-stop GBV recovery centres in all 47 counties to centralise support services.
The report described uncoordinated funding as a major barrier to effective intervention and emphasised that sustained and predictable financing is essential to reducing femicide and supporting survivors.
According to data from the National Commission on Gender and Equality, Kenya loses approximately Sh46 billion annually due to GBV through healthcare costs, lost productivity and social services.
President Ruto, upon receiving the report, assured that the government would review the recommendations and determine the necessary policy, legislative and administrative measures.
"Protecting life and dignity requires adequate resources. This is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation," he said.
