Kisii: Kisii County has been identified as a major center for gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide, contributing 25% to the national statistics. This revelation was made during a public participation forum on the legal framework governing GBV and femicide, held at the Agricultural Training College on the outskirts of Kisii town.
According to Kenya News Agency, the forum was part of a broader initiative following the formation of a Presidential taskforce through gazette notice number 109 in January 2025. The taskforce is tasked with assessing the existing legal framework related to these issues. During the event, taskforce member James Nombi highlighted factors such as property disputes, economic disparities, and power imbalances as key triggers of GBV and femicide in the country.
Nombi expressed concern over the increasing incidence of these issues in the region and urged participants to propose localized solutions to combat the problem. He mentioned the prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Migori County, particularly among the Kuria community, and noted that in Nyamira, FGM was being facilitated by medical professionals due to legal loopholes. Nombi pointed out that a clause permitting medics to conduct FGM had been declared unconstitutional, and the taskforce would recommend its removal from the law.
Other forms of GBV highlighted included early marriages, which are prevalent in Narok County, and emotional abuse, which is widespread across all counties. Taskforce member Dr. Teckla Tum further identified issues such as property inheritance disputes, cultural practices, illegal drug use, and the disinheritance of widows and mothers with only female children as significant concerns.
Dr. Tum also pointed out the practice known as “fish and sand for sex” in Homa Bay and Migori counties, where economic hardship forces women to exchange sexual favors to trade in fish and sand commodities. The taskforce aims to develop recommendations to present to the presidency on how to address GBV and femicide effectively.
The taskforce is working across the 47 counties, having already gathered public opinions in parts of the Rift Valley and the South Nyanza Region, including Narok, Bomet, Homa Bay, and Migori.
