In light of a damning report by Africa Uncensored and OdipoDev on the rise of femicide in Kenya, Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has called for urgent legal and social reforms to address the crisis.
Speaking to The Eastleigh Voice Reporter, she emphasized the need for fast-tracking convictions and implementing laws to safeguard women.
“There are simply not enough examples of perpetrators facing the harsh punishments stipulated by law,” she noted, pointing to inefficiencies in gender desks and courts as key challenges.
Orwoba called for the allocation of more magistrates to gender courts and the operationalization of the Victim Protection Board.
On the rising number of sexual assaults preceding femicides, Orwoba stressed the importance of mentoring boys to promote mutual respect and combat toxic behaviors.
“We cannot leave the boy child behind,” she stated.
The Senator also highlighted her ongoing advocacy for the Free Sanitary Pads Bill to address period poverty, urging the government to provide menstrual products for schoolgirls and incarcerated women.
As President William Ruto’s task force investigates the femicide crisis, Orwoba believes government efforts must go beyond symbolic gestures.
“We need a synchronized and public SGBV perpetrators register to protect women in workplaces and social spaces,” she said.
She urged Kenyans to embrace a ‘He for She’ campaign to foster lasting social change
