Introduction
Kenya has been confronted with an increase of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), par-ticularly a record high number of femicide cases have been reported in the past 2 years, targeting specifically girls and young women. President William Ruto has avoided the topic publicly since stepping into office, until late 2024 when statistics released showed the highest number of murdered women recorded in Kenya since 2017. In response, Ruto announced the allocation of approximately 700 thousand Euro to address the alarmingly high numbers. On December 17th, 2024, the gov-ernment approved the establishment of a 42-member task group with the purpose of developing a comprehensive approach to address femicide on various levels, most significantly the structural and political. The team is led by former Chief Justice Nancy Baraza, known for her expertise and advocacy in democratic and women’s rights, and is expected to report their findings and solutions within 90 days to the President. Essentially, the issue has ignited significant debate nation-wide within po-litical circles, advocacy groups, civil society organizations as well as the academic realm. The government response was a result of heavy public outcry which took many people to protest peacefully on the streets of Nairobi almost a year prior. However, the actual policy implications are yet to be seen, especially since Kenya has seen an escalating rise in public demonstrations which have spread nation-wide and have resulted in little to no political changes within the current government.
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