She Did Not Die by Accident

The Femicide Report 2025 documents femicide as a systemic human rights crisis in Kenya, marked by predictable patterns of intimate partner violence, ignored warning signs, and institutional inaction. With at least 220 documented cases and a critical absence of publicly released government data after March 2025, the report highlights serious accountability gaps. It demonstrates that femicide is preventable and calls for legal recognition, survivor-centred protection systems, transparent data, and faster justice pathways.

Report at a glance

• At least 220 femicide cases were documented in Kenya in 2025, with 129 killings recorded in just the first three months, an alarming indication of the scale and urgency of the crisis.
• Most women were killed by someone they knew, often a current or former intimate partner or family member, confirming that femicide is rooted in power, control, and unequal gender relations.
• The home is the most dangerous place for women: over two-thirds of femicides occurred in private spaces, exposing the failure of protection mechanisms within intimate and domestic settings.
• Warning signs were present and ignored. In many cases, survivors had previously reported abuse, expressed fear, or sought help—yet institutions and communities failed to intervene before violence escalated.
• Government data on femicide stopped being publicly released after March 2025, creating a major transparency and accountability gap and masking the true scale of the crisis.
• Informal justice mechanisms continue to enable impunity, with out-of-court settlements and family negotiations undermining prosecutions and allowing perpetrators to evade accountability.
• Femicide is preventable. The report calls for legal recognition of femicide, survivor-centred protection systems, faster justice pathways, and coordinated prevention strategies to stop further loss of life.