Why Central Kenya is experiencing a surge in femicide and GBV cases
Protesters place a mock coffin along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi during a demonstration against the rise in femicide and pedicide cases in Kenya on June 1, 2026. Gender Cabinet Secretary Hannah Cheptumo recently held a special meeting with the Central Region Security Committee over rising femicide cases in the Central Kenya region.
What you need to know:
- Rising femicide and gender-based violence cases in Central Kenya have triggered protests and growing public concern.
- Activists are calling for urgent government intervention as killings of women and children continue to shock communities.
Purity Wangechi hoped to one day become a renowned journalist in Kenya, or even beyond, when she joined the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) in 2021 to study journalism. However, that dream was cut short eight months after she joined the college when she was brutally murdered and her body dumped in a thicket.
Her body, which bore visible stab wounds and strangulation marks, was discovered in a thicket near Mburiria estate, close to Kiambu town. Her boyfriend was later arrested on suspicion of being behind the murder. It is alleged that she had confronted him earlier over the phone after realising he was allegedly involved in criminal activities.
At the time, Wangechi’s boyfriend, who police described as the suspected mastermind, feigned innocence and pleaded with her to meet so they could resolve their differences. Eager to settle the dispute with her boyfriend, Wangechi left KIMC and went to his house in Kiambu. That was the last time she was seen alive.
Her boyfriend and others were later charged with murder. The case is ongoing. Since 2023, there have been multiple incidents in which women have been found dead and dumped in thickets or by roadsides.
In Kimbo, Ruiru, police in 2024 investigated the murder of a woman in her early 20s whose body was stuffed into a sack and a black suitcase before being dumped outside the GSU Recce Squad camp. Her hands and neck were tied, and the killers left an ink-written message on her body.
In January of the same year, the defiled and severely injured body of a missing 20-year-old woman was discovered dumped in Kinare Forest, Lari. The previous year, in February 2023, residents discovered the body of a middle-aged woman dumped in River Theta, Juja, prompting police investigations.
In the last two weeks, there have been two incidents in Thika and Githunguri in which men killed their wives and children. A 34-year-old man on Kiganjo estate, Thika, brutally murdered his estranged wife and their two young sons by dousing them with acid before turning the substance on himself. The tragic incident followed a long-standing domestic dispute and resulted in the deaths of all the family members.
In Githunguri, a 26-year-old man allegedly killed his wife and young son before taking his own life. In a note recovered from the scene, the man cited alcoholism as the reason for the murder and suicide. Cases of gender-based violence (GBV) have been increasing in Central Kenya over the past few years. Official data released by the police indicate that the region is experiencing a sharp rise in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and girls.
According to Central Region SGBV Statistics between June 2025 and April 2026, a total of 531 cases involving defilement, rape, incest, gang rape and attempted defilement were recorded across Kiambu, Murang'a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga and Nyandarua counties. Police data indicate that 515 of the reported cases are pending before the courts, six are pending arrest, and 10 are under investigation. The rising cases have been attributed to a combination of substance abuse, economic hardships and deeply entrenched cultural norms.
Because of the rising cases of femicide and SGBV, including the abduction and murder of children, Gender Cabinet Secretary Hannah Cheptumo recently held a special meeting with the Central Region Security Committee. She condemned recent incidents in Nyeri, Murang'a and Tharaka Nithi, where separate cases of SGBV and brutal killing of children were reported.
The CS described the trend as not only distressing but also unacceptable and called for swift action against all those responsible for such heinous acts. “These incidents collectively point to a worrying trend involving violence, neglect, abuse and exploitation of women and children.”
She added that the government had strengthened coordination between the National Police Service, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, county security teams and Nyumba Kumi structures to enhance surveillance, emergency response and case management for the protection of women and children.
The government has launched a 90-day Rapid Results Initiative to intensify interventions aimed at addressing the rising cases of SGBV in the Central region. A crackdown on illicit brews has commenced and is aimed, among other things, at ensuring that standard operating hours for licensed bars are strictly enforced, alongside the immediate closure of unlicensed premises and entertainment joints operating near learning institutions.
Security teams are also conducting hotspot mapping to identify SGBV hotspots for targeted operations and ensure the swift arrest and prosecution of perpetrators. Strict adherence to official learning hours is also being enforced across basic education institutions to protect schoolchildren. A target has been set for Central to be declared SGBV-free within the next 11 months through sustained enforcement, prevention, awareness, protection and response measures.
In recent months, the government has faced criticism from a section of Kenyans over its perceived inaction in tackling the rising SGBV, including femicide. Rights organisations and gender and human rights activists have accused the government of doing little as cases continue to wreak havoc. Hundreds of Kenyans and civil society activists took to the streets of Nairobi on Madaraka Day to protest against the alarming rise in femicide, violence against women and the disappearance of children.
Most of the protesters, who were women, staged a peaceful sit-in along Kenyatta Avenue to pressure the government into taking action against the increasing cases of femicide and child disappearances. They sang songs, waved banners, chanted anti-femicide slogans and urged leaders to prioritise the safety of women and children, saying every life lost to femicide or infanticide represents a failure of society and the justice system.
Laxity
The protesters decried what they termed government laxity, accusing authorities of doing little as more women continue to lose their lives and children disappear without a trace. The protests followed a distressing wave of murders targeting women, which activists described as a mass burial of victims of such crimes.
Njeri Migwi, the executive director of Usikimye, an organisation fighting to eradicate SGBV and femicide, said her organisation has documented 67 cases of femicide since January. She said it was unfortunate that six months after the task force handed its report to the President with a raft of recommendations, none had been implemented.
“We are calling on the government to act swiftly and implement the report. Women are no longer safe, and things cannot continue this way where women live in perpetual fear. We have to say no to femicide,” Njeri said.
She called on men to stand up for women by becoming ambassadors against femicide and gender-based violence. “Men are our brothers, fathers and sons, and they need to stand up for us. We call upon men to join us in the anti-femicide movement,” she added.
Teresia Wavinya, the vice-president of the Law Society of Kenya, also criticised the government for what she termed a slow response to the femicide crisis. “We cannot see what the government has done to fight this menace threatening our female population. It is sad to see that the government has not taken any initiative to implement the recommendations of the task force report. The lives and dignity of Kenyan women are important and should be protected.”
She also called for the establishment of gender desks in all police stations across Kenya staffed by trained female police officers skilled in handling SGBV cases. Last month, the government launched an online platform that will enable people to report such cases to help the state tackle the increasing cases of femicide and GBV.
Survivors and those at risk will now be able to report incidents and seek assistance from relevant authorities through the online platform. Members of the public can now report all cases related to SGBV through the National GBV Reporting WhatsApp platform on +254724884444.
The platform guarantees confidentiality and enables users to access psychological, legal and counselling support, as well as critical referral services for survivors of SGBV, including those facilitated by technology. “This tool leverages widespread digital connectivity to provide immediate, automated and confidential psychological support, legal counselling and direct referral mechanisms for survivors of online and physical violence,” the CS said.
