Ending Gender Based Violence (GBV)

As Kenya prepares for the 2027 General Elections, women aspiring for and contesting elective positions continue to face significant barriers to equal political participation. Gender-based violence (GBV) in politics is one of the most serious threats, taking physical, psychological, sexual, economic, and social forms. Women candidates may experience intimidation, harassment, threats, character assassination, sexual violence, destruction of property, economic coercion, and violence directed at their families as a way of discouraging them from participating in elections.

An emerging dimension of this problem is technology-facilitated gender-based violence. During election campaigns, women aspirants and candidates can be targeted through social media harassment, cyberbullying, sexualised abuse, threats of violence, doxxing, impersonation, manipulated images and videos, non-consensual sharing of intimate content, coordinated online attacks, misinformation, disinformation, and other forms of digital intimidation. Such attacks can damage reputations, undermine public confidence, cause psychological distress, and force women to withdraw from political engagement.

Community Focus Group (CFG), in collaboration with Women in Democracy and Governance (WDG), seeks to implement an initiative aimed at preventing and responding to GBV against women in political leadership during the 2027 electoral process.

The initiative will strengthen women's knowledge of their rights, electoral laws, reporting and referral mechanisms, personal security, digital safety, and strategies for preventing and responding to political violence. It will also engage political parties, community leaders, media practitioners, technology stakeholders, law enforcement agencies, and other electoral actors to promote zero tolerance for violence against women in politics.

Through community awareness, training, advocacy, documentation, referral, and survivor-centred support, CFG and WDG will work toward safer campaigns where women can participate, compete, and lead without fear of violence—online or offline.