Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in Kenyan sports has risen sharply over the past three years, a new study has revealed.
The study titled “Exploring Sexual and Gender-Based Violence against Women in Sports in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania” established that the SGBV prevalence in Kenya has jumped to 69 per cent, up from 43 per cent reported in 2022 by the Ministry of Sports.
The findings of the study, which was conducted by the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) was released on Wednesday in Nairobi.
The study involved 748 participants, among them athletes, coaches, team officials and club owners. A majority of the respondents were aged between 18 and 34.
The form of violence include verbal, physical, emotional, sexual harassment, sexual assault, cyber-sexual violence, and exploitation.
According to the report, verbal abuse is the most prevalent form of SGBV across the three countries, with Tanzania leading at 48 per cent, followed by Uganda at 46 per cent, and Kenya at 34 per cent.
However, Kenya, topped the list in cases of sexual harassment at 19 per cent) and emotional abuse at 15 per cent.
When it comes to physical abuse, both Kenya and Tanzania reported similar rates of prevalence at 12 per cent.
Fans emerged as the most notorious perpetrators of SGBV across the three countries, with Kenya recording 34 per cent, Uganda 43 per cent and Tanzania 23 per cent.
In Kenya, coaches accounted for 23 per cent of the reported cases followed by teammates at 14 per cent), team officials 12 per cent, sports administrators 11 per cent and club owners four per cent).
Coaching style, the study revealed, was a major contributor to SGBV with 46 per cent of respondents agreeing so.
“Coaching style and gender imbalance contribute to SGBV with authoritarian, coercive, and unregulated practices creating toxic power dynamics and normalizing abuse,” the report said.
High prevalence of SGBV in sports
“Male-dominated coaching environments heighten vulnerability, as coaches often set exploitative norms that teammates mimic, reinforcing a culture of silence and intimidation.”
Forty-nine per cent of respondents in Kenya agreed that lack of awareness and education was the main cause of SGBV in sports, 39 per cent in Tanzania and 29 per cent in Uganda.
The other major factors are power dynamics between coaches and athletes, gender stereotypes in sports and non-compliance with the code of conduct, rules, policy and policy against the vice.
Despite the high prevalence of SGBV in sports, many athletes refrained from reporting such incidents.
The primary reason cited for the silence was fear of retaliation or negative consequences on their careers.
The study shows Uganda has the highest percentage of unreported cases at 45 per cent, followed by Kenya at 35 per cent and Tanzania at 31 per cent.
Other contributing factors included lack of trust in reporting mechanisms, shame or stigma associated with being a victim, limited legal action taken against perpetrators, and inadequate awareness and education on athletes’ rights and reporting procedures.
Majority of respondents consider education and awareness (52 per cent) and stricter policies and penalties for perpetrators (24 per cent) as the most effective interventions in reducing SGBV.
SGBV is widespread in sports across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania with prevalence increasing alongside athletes’ years of involvement and level of competition.
The persistence of SGBV in sports is driven by a combination of cultural, institutional and interpersonal factors
According to the study, SGBV has very consequential effects on the victims’ personal and professional well being, with 81 per cent of respondents pointing to emotional trauma (47 per cent), withdrawal from sports (17 per cent), and deteriorating performance (17 per cent) as the most devastating effects.
Said the Report: “Despite the existence of policies, and even legal frameworks at the national level and in some instances codes of conduct and some formal mechanisms, current interventions to address SGBV in sport remain grossly inadequate.
“Until women athletes are at the table – making decisions, enforcing rules, leading teams – these interventions will keep failing us.”
