Kenya rolls out new police training guide to tackle rising sexual and digital GBV
Vigilance House in Nairobi, the National Police Service headquarters. The Service has adopted the Policare Training Curriculum for addressing key competency areas required for an effective response to SGBV.
What you need to know:
- Kenya is introducing a comprehensive police training curriculum to strengthen response to sexual violence and rising technology-facilitated abuse nationwide.
- With femicide and online abuse surging, new reforms aim to improve survivor support, investigations, and accountability systems.
President William Ruto last year established and mandated a 42-member task force to recommend solutions to the rising wave of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The move came after cases hit record levels, triggering widespread public outcry.
Kenya has been grappling with a sharp increase in SGBV, with femicide cases in particular reaching alarming numbers over the past two years and targeting mainly girls and young women. Data from the Femicide Count Kenya shows the country has the highest rate of femicide in East Africa.
Now, the fight has received a significant boost. The National Police Service (NPS) has adopted the Policare Training Curriculum, a comprehensive framework addressing key competency areas required for an effective response to SGBV.
The curriculum covers survivor-centred communication, forensic evidence management, technology-facilitated GBV, medico-legal documentation, child protection, case management, confidentiality, professional ethics, and interagency collaboration. It is set for accreditation by the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority.
One of the curriculum’s most significant features is the integration of technology-facilitated GBV (TFGBV), a fast-growing crime that disproportionately affects women and girls. Across Kenya, women and girls are increasingly targeted through online stalking, tech-facilitated trafficking for sexual exploitation, image-based abuse, doxing, and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
A recent study by the Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development conducted, in collaboration with the University of Nairobi Women's Economic Empowerment Hub and supported by UNFPA, found that TFGBV is on the rise, particularly among university students. The survey identified social media as the primary arena for abuse, with incidents most prevalent on X at 18.4 per cent, followed by WhatsApp at 17 per cent, Facebook at 16.8 per cent, Telegram and Instagram each at 14.2 per cent, and TikTok at 13.7 per cent.
Female students bear the heaviest burden. The study found that 64.4 per cent of female students had experienced at least one form of online violence, compared to 35.5 per cent of male students. They are the primary targets of online defamation and non-consensual pornography, with lasting psychological, social, and economic consequences.
NPS director of personnel Wanderi Mwangi reaffirmed the service’s commitment to strengthening Policare and building multi-sectoral collaboration. “Sexual violence poses a significant risk to human dignity, public safety, and social stability, necessitating a response that is both effective and professionally coordinated,” he said.
Dr Mwangi noted that the curriculum's competency-based approach aligns with the government's broader education and training reforms, which emphasise practical skills, values, and measurable outcomes. “The shift to competency-based training is critical in ensuring standardisation, accountability, and continuous professional development. Most importantly, it strengthens our collective ability to provide timely, coordinated, and dignified support to survivors,” he said.
Senior Superintendent of Police Zipporah Nderitu, the brains behind Policare, described the curriculum as the most comprehensive victim-centred policing framework of the 21st century. “TFGBV leaves digital scars that are hard to erase. It disproportionately targets women, girls, activists, and survivors of prior abuse. The curriculum, therefore, is welcome and comes at the right time,” she said, adding that TFGBV is the new wave of sexual violence and fits squarely within the Policare vision.
One-stop centre
Beyond training, Policare operates as a one-stop centre offering integrated services to both SGBV victims and offenders. It runs a 24-hour toll-free service and hosts dedicated facilities, including victims' interview rooms for women and children, a crime records room, a triage area, a forensic evidence storage room, trauma centres, a room for medical examination and P3 form issuance, and separate male and female holding cells.
The model is designed to eliminate victimisation of survivors and witnesses, facilitate speedier justice, and build a database of pro-bono lawyers, paralegals, and volunteer counsellors. The centres, to be established across Kenya, will be fully equipped to provide medical-legal, psychosocial, and forensic services.
Eunice Nyong'a, acting director in charge of Police and Legal Affairs at the National Police Service Commission, welcomed the human rights component embedded in the curriculum. “The inclusion of human rights training as a core component of this curriculum is both timely and necessary. It resonates with the highest standards of competency and integrity,” she said.
The curriculum was developed with support from several organisations, including Save the Children International, the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness, and the Search for Common Ground, all of which financed the TF-GBV training module.
