Meeting with members of the Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association (KEWOPA)

The Hon. Chief Justice met with members of the Kenya Women Parliamentarians Association (KEWOPA) to deliberate on the justice sectors response to the alarming increase in femicide and gender-based violence (GBV) across Kenya. The Judiciary is committed to working collaboratively with state and non-state actors to ensure survivors of GBV have access to justice.

In June 2023, the Judiciary launched the STAJ SGBV Court Strategy, which embeds a survivor-centered approach in court processes. This Strategy ensures that the needs and priorities of survivors are at the forefront of judicial responses, in line with the Constitution and the Sexual Offences Act. Its implementation framework includes streamlined institutional and governance arrangements to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and expedite access to justice for survivors of SGBV.

It is pursuant to this Strategy that the Judiciary is rolling out Gender Justice Courts in SGBV hotspot areas across the country. In March 2022, the first specialized Gender Justice Court was piloted at Shanzu Law Courts in Mombasa County. The experience from the Shanzu Gender Justice Court in its first fourteen months of operation was that it resolved 60 cases which included cases that had been filed way back in 2015.

Following the success of the pilot, we launched 11 additional courts Gender Justice Courts in June 2023. The court stations with these Gender Justice Courts have designated registries for SGBV matters to ensure the seamless handling of these cases.