Technology cited for rise in GBV cases amid calls for special courts
The government has been asked to establish special courts to deal with Gender Based Violence (GBV) related cases amid rising incidents of misuse of the internet to perpetrate social ills.
This comes as hundreds of youths, comprising university students and activists held a protest march against technology facilitated gender-based violence in Nairobi yesterday, December 13, 2025 to demand action on the vice.
The protesters who addressed journalists at the University of Nairobi’s main campus grounds after the march, asked the government to fully implement the recently enacted law against cybercrime, including cyber bullying and related offences so as to punish offenders who often target both genders.
While calling for the establishment of special courts to hear gender related violence cases, the activists argued that the normal legal process is time consuming and ends up denying victims justice.
“We need to have special cases for all forms of gender violence so as to address the issue of lagging of cases where some victims have to wait for up to 5 years to get justice,” stated Sumba Njeri, a grassroots gender justice crusader.
She added that there’s need to establish safe houses for survivors of the vice, most of whom suffer in silence.
Njeri regretted that the society appears to have normalized GBV on social media platforms and cheers the perpetrators while at the same time ridiculing the victims.
Wendy Aura, Executive Director Young Women Leaders Connect called for implementation of the Cyber Crimes law to deter and discourage use of social media to spread gender violence.
“There is a rising and worrying trend where university students and young women in Kenya have become targets of digital platforms which have become tools for abuse and harassment based on gender,” maintained Aura.
Hannah Mbura, a representative of Female Students Welfare Association of Kenya asked Kenyan female politicians to spearhead the issue of gender violence, noting that 50 percent of them have undergone the same, according to statistics.
She called for stiffer penalties to discourage perpetrators from repeating the offences. “I would like to urge the government to put clauses that punish the perpetrators harshly as a deterrent not to repeat the practice,” Mbura added.
Esther Gitarang’a, an advocate of young women rights noted that tech facilitated gender violence seems to get more attention and called for change of attitude by the society.
“As violence goes digital, we are asking the government to catch up using the law, especially the recently enacted Cyber Bullying Act which needs to be implemented,
“We want these people arrested even before committing the crimes because we can see potential perpetrators in the things and videos that they post on social media which unfortunately go viral,” said Gitarang’a.
Ian Brando of the University of Nairobi said that recently there have been increased cases of GBV and even killings among university students over relationship disagreements.
He encouraged men to speak out and stop suffering in silence owing to societal norms that they are the stronger sex.
Robert Kennedy of the Technical University of Kenya noted both women and men are exposed to gender violence and hence the need for concerted effort against the menace.
