Ruto pledges action on GBV report, calls findings disturbing

Speaking on Monday at State House, Nairobi, during the official launch of the report, President Ruto acknowledged the scale and complexity of gender-based violence in the country, noting that while the vice affects all genders and age groups, women and girls continue to bear a disproportionate burden.

The President commended the task force, chaired by former Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza, for conducting extensive public engagements across all 47 counties and for incorporating the voices of survivors, experts, communities, and institutions into 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.

Among the key proposals highlighted in the report are calls to declare gender-based violence, including femicide, a national crisis requiring urgent and coordinated action.

The recommendations also include strengthening prevention measures, improving investigation and prosecution through specialized law enforcement capacity, and undertaking legislative and policy reforms to enhance survivor protection and accountability.

President Ruto said the recommendations would be subjected to established government processes, including review by the Cabinet and relevant ministries, departments, and agencies, to determine appropriate policy, legislative, and administrative responses.

“Where legislative reforms are proposed, they will be processed through the established constitutional and parliamentary procedures,” he said.

Even as the government considers the report, the president reiterated that violence against any Kenyan is unacceptable and constitutes a betrayal of the Constitution, national values and shared humanity.

“Protecting life, dignity and safety is not optional. It is a core duty of the State,” he said, while emphasising that ending gender-based violence requires a whole-of-society approach.

He called on families, religious institutions, community leaders, security agencies, and citizens to play their respective roles in preventing abuse, reporting cases, and supporting survivors.