Gender Justice

The Gender Component contributes to the transformation of gender relations in Kenya and the region in order to realize human rights for all members of society. Our main focus areas enhance women’s effective political participation in Kenya, challenge patriarchy and democratic rollback in the region from a feminist perspective, and amplify gender and sexual minority rights through regional networking, learning processes, capacity building, awareness creation, research and documentation of experiences of women leaders. The programme also builds knowledge and facilitates discourse on gender diversity.

Articles


Intimate partner Violence_ AI-generated conceptual illustration created with ChatGPT (OpenAI). Used for illustrative purposes; it does not depict an actual event or individuals.

Before Her Name Became a Statistic

Published: 4 August 2026
Article
Femicide is rarely an isolated act of violence; it is often the final outcome of a pattern of coercion, control, and abuse that begins long before a woman's life is taken. Through the story of "Salama" and the voices of thousands of Kenyans who marched against femicide, this blog explores the intimate partner violence that remains hidden behind closed doors, the systemic failures that allow it to persist, and the urgent need for stronger laws, survivor-centred support, and collective action. Ending femicide requires more than mourning victims; it demands that we recognize the warning signs, hold perpetrators accountable, and build a society where every woman can live free from fear.
Unbowed for Justice

POLICE KILLINGS INCREASE BY 20% IN 2025 AMID PROTEST CRACKDOWN

Published: 24 March 2026
Article
The 2025 Missing Voices Annual Report reveals a troubling paradox: while overall violations declined, police killings rose sharply by 20%, with young men, especially in Nairobi, bearing the brunt of this violence. Most deaths occurred during protest periods, underscoring persistent concerns about the use of excessive force by law enforcement. Although enforced disappearances dropped significantly, weak legal frameworks and limited accountability mechanisms continue to deny justice to victims and their families, raising urgent questions about policing, civic space, and human rights in Kenya.
Ciru Muriuki and Ian Wafula at the Sauti Session on TFGBV

"It had reached crisis levels. We had to do something about it": Confronting Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence in Kenya

Published: 4 February 2026
Interview feature.
Following that impactful edition, with Sauti Session on, tech-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), we sat down with Wafula to discuss the inspiration behind Sauti Sessions, why this partnership was so pivotal, and what he hopes will be the lasting impact of bringing survivors, experts, and citizens together to confront one of the most pervasive forms of abuse today. This is what he had to say.
Faiba Kombo
Maskan tour_

Maskan exhibition Where Art Becomes Evidence in the Fight Against Femicide

Published: 16 October 2025
Through evocative installations and community engagement, Maskan Tour, done in collaboration with Usikimyie and Creative Garage, turns abstract statistics on femicide and policy failures into visceral, human stories that demand accountability. Explore how this unique exhibition bridges the gap between written policy and lived experience, sparking public dialogue and driving real change in the fight for justice.
Faiba Kombo

More articles about Gender Justice (34)



Publications

Combatting Global Plastic Pollution

Published: 20 April 2026
Policy Paper
By 2025, more than 12 billion tonnes of plastic had been produced globally – and plastic pollution is not gender neutral. Our publication Combatting Global Plastic Pollution presents feminist perspectives for a gender-just approach to the plastic crisis. 
She Did Not Die by Accident _6852.

She Did Not Die by Accident

Published: 27 January 2026
Report
At least 220 women and girls were killed in Kenya in 2025, most by people they trusted, and often after seeking help. The Femicide Report 2025 shows that these deaths were not accidents but the result of ignored warning signs, social silence, and systemic failure. Ending femicide requires naming it, tracking it, and acting decisively to protect women before violence becomes fatal.
: Decentralization and inclusion in Kenya: From pre-colonial times to the first decade of devolution.

Decentralization and inclusion in Kenya

Published: 25 January 2023
Publication
Kabarak University and Heinrich Boell Foundation published a book dubbed “Decentralisation and inclusion in Kenya: From pre-colonial times to the first decade of devolution”. The publication is a result of a research that evaluated the first era of devolution (2012 – 2022). The critical focus on devolution and its impact on minority groups.
Perspectives

Perspectives #01/2021: African Feminisms Across Generations

Published: 6 July 2021
New Publication
This special edition of Perspectives reflects on, analyzes and documents the evolution of African feminisms and feminist action that African activists have taken up to address both old as well as persistent and new threats to women’s rights and gender justice. It also reflects on lessons learned from African feminist practices for current and future generations across the region.
No Roses From My Mouth Cover Page

No Roses From My Mouth:Poems From Prison By Stella Nyanzi

Published: 16 March 2021
New Book
Stella Nyanzi’s No Roses From My Mouth includes 159 poems written in 2019 and 2020 from Luzira Women’s Prison in Kampala, Uganda during a trial and serving time for cyber-harassing and offending the President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in a poem where she uses his dead mother’s vagina as an image to comment on her son’s "oppression, suppression and repression" of Ugandans. This poetry collection includes poems "written by an activist who uses the space of incarceration and the time of detention to reflect on the conditions of being incarcerated itself", the position of the woman in society, and the political conditions of the Ugandan state.

86 and Counting: Women Leaders in Kenya’s 11th Parliament

Published: 31 March 2015
Out of the eleven elections that have been held in Kenya since independence, the 2013 election will remain significant in Kenya’s electoral history. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 set the legal framework for promoting gender equality, which has seen a record eighty six woman elected and nominated to the eleventh Parliament. This number surpasses the total number of women representatives in the fifty years of independence combined. In the last ten parliaments, Kenya has had a total of eventy five women, fifty of them elected while the other 25 were nominated. With an increase from 9.8% to 19% representation, Kenya is now ranked 76th of the top 100 countries in the World Classification of Women in National Parliaments. The marked Progress, a result of years of hard work by different stakeholders in the women’s movement, deserves celebration.

Women and Political Leadership in Kenya: Ten Case Studies

Published: 20 November 2013
Despite global advances recognizing the principle of women’s political, economic and social equality, Kenyan women continue to be marginalized in many areas of society, especially in the sphere of leadership and decision making.

More publications about Gender Justice (24)





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