Female members of the National Security Council find it essential to express their voices unabatedly
In Kenya, the issue of femicide remains a significant concern, with at least 80 reported cases in 2024 alone, and countless more going unreported. The political class often responds with silence, hashtags, and hollow committees, while the security for women is a matter of whether they can leave their homes safely or report a violent partner without being killed.
However, women in Kenya's national security and justice frameworks are taking a proactive stance in addressing this crisis. These women, including those involved in bodies like the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ), play a significant role through advocacy, protection, and pushing for justice reforms that safeguard women’s rights.
One such example is FIDA-Kenya Chairperson Christine Kungu, who has been active in calling for the protection of women during protests, highlighting the increased vulnerability of women to sexual violence such as rape and harassment in public unrest situations, and stressing that such violations must never be normalized.
While Kenya’s National Security Council is not explicitly mentioned in the search results, the active participation of women in related national security and justice institutions underscores their response to the femicide and broader violence against women crisis. Their role includes bringing women’s voices and experiences into policy discussions, highlighting specific risks such as sexual violence used as a tool of intimidation, and demanding institutional reforms and protection measures during times of unrest.
At a continental level, women’s leadership in peace and security, monitored and supported through frameworks like the African Union’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, also influences national approaches. The AU promotes women's inclusion in peace and security decision-making, evidence-based policy formulation, and sustainable financing of WPS initiatives that can enhance the capacity of countries like Kenya to tackle femicide and gender-based violence comprehensively.
In conclusion, women in Kenya’s justice and security institutions respond to the femicide crisis by advocating for protection and justice reforms, shining a spotlight on sexual violence during unrest, and working collaboratively within national and continental frameworks to strengthen women’s safety and leadership in peace and security matters.
[1] Women in Kenya’s national security and justice frameworks respond to the femicide crisis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.womenpeaceandsecurity.org/resources/articles/women-in-kenyas-national-security-and-justice-frameworks-respond-to-the-femicide-crisis/
[2] African Union. (n.d.). Women, Peace, and Security. Retrieved from https://au.int/en/wps
- The political silence on femicide in Kenya is often met with activism from women within the national security and justice frameworks, such as the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ).
- FIDA-Kenya Chairperson Christine Kungu is among those advocating for women's protection during protests, focusing on the increased risk of sexual violence in public unrest situations.
- Women's involvement in national security and justice institutions serves to bring women's voices and experiences into policy discussions, emphasizing the importance of institutional reforms and protection measures for women's safety.
- The African Union's Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda supports and monitors women's leadership in peace and security decision-making, aiming to bolster countries like Kenya's capacity to tackle femicide and gender-based violence comprehensively.
