A recent report handed to President William Ruto has drawn a direct line between short-stay rentals, commercial lodgings, and Kenya’s worsening gender-based violence crisis, and now calls for mandatory CCTV cameras to help tackle the problem.
The report shows that 1,639 women lost their lives between 2022 and 2024, with 77 per cent killed by intimate partners or people they knew. Women between 30 and 44 were hit hardest, and Nairobi, Nakuru, and Meru counties saw the highest numbers. But officials say the real toll is probably much worse, since so many cases never get reported.
The Technical Working Group (TWG) discovered that some short-stay rentals and commercial places to stay, especially in cities, have turned into sites where GBV happens, largely because regulations are weak and there’s little security watching over things. To fix this, the report says all short-stay rentals, lodgings, and commercial accommodations must have security cameras, including CCTV, installed by September 31, 2026.
The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife will team up with the Ministry of Interior and National Administration to make this happen. It’s the first time Kenya has officially put the hospitality industry at the heart of its plan to prevent GBV.
Former Deputy Chief Justice Dr. Nancy Baraza led the TWG, which found that systemic problems are fueling the crisis. Femicide isn’t even recognized as its own crime under the law. Court processes drag on and often retraumatize victims. Families and community elders regularly shut down cases. Scattered data makes it hard to respond effectively. And while social media has helped spread awareness, it’s also created space for victim-blaming and false information to spread.
The report paints a bleak picture of what’s happening nationwide: 34 per cent of Kenyan women have faced physical violence since turning 15, and 13 per cent have experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives.
But the TWG wants more than just cameras. The group is pushing for GBV and femicide to be declared a national crisis, for femicide to be recognized as a specific crime in law, and for out-of-court settlements that silence survivors to become illegal. They’re also calling for more help for survivors, including one-stop recovery centres in every county, better mental health and trauma care, and programs to help survivors become financially independent.
To fix the data problem, the report suggests creating a national GBV and femicide database, a dashboard that tracks femicides in real time, and rules to protect survivors online. It also recommends setting up a National GBV and Femicide Fund and protecting county budgets so the money keeps flowing.
President Ruto promised the government will take a hard look at the recommendations and act on them, calling the findings deeply troubling and saying they need urgent national attention.
Speaking Monday at State House in Nairobi during the report’s official launch, the President acknowledged just how big and complicated gender-based violence has become in Kenya. He pointed out that while it affects all genders and ages, women and girls still carry most of the burden.
He praised the task force for meeting people across all 47 counties and for bringing together the voices of survivors, experts, communities, and institutions in the report.
“This report is more than a technical document. It reflects the voices, fears and hopes of the Kenyan people, especially survivors of gender-based violence,” the President said.
Ruto explained that the recommendations will go through the usual government channels; Cabinet review, checks by relevant ministries, departments, and agencies to figure out the right policy, legal, and administrative steps to take.
“Where legislative reforms are proposed, they will be processed through the established constitutional and parliamentary procedures,” he said.
The President made it clear that violence against any Kenyan won’t be tolerated and goes against the Constitution, national values, and our shared humanity.
“Protecting life, dignity and safety is not optional. It is a core duty of the State,” he said, stressing that stopping gender-based violence takes everyone working together.
He called on families, religious groups, community leaders, security forces, and ordinary citizens to do their part—whether that’s preventing abuse, reporting what they see, or standing by survivors.
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