Chief Justice Martha Koome
By Times Reporter
Chief Justice Martha Koome on Wednesday said sexual violence in Kenya has reached alarming levels and likened it to crimes against humanity, urging citizens to confront the offence.
Koome said the scale of abuse against women, men and children demands urgent cultural and legal change, noting that a 2022 study found 10.4 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 and 18 per cent of young boys have experienced sexual violence.
She added that harmful gender norms, domestic violence, partner alcohol use and economic pressures fuel the problem.
“Why are we defiling our children and why are we raping boys and girls and women? That is why the law and Kenyans said in very strong and clear terms that sexual violence is unacceptable in the society, because why would a grown-up man defile a child of six years? Even animals do not do that,” said Koome.
She noted that the International Criminal Court has classified sexual violence as a crime against humanity and warned that sentences for offenders will not be reduced.
“The sentences are not going to come down, it is Kenyans who will have to change and remind ourselves that this is an offence not accepted by the Koran, the Bible, by our Constitution, by our law and customs,” added Koome.
UN Women reports that stigma and fear lead to widespread underreporting, meaning the true scale is likely higher.
Perpetrators are often known to victims, with intimate partners, family members and schoolmates frequently implicated.
Risk factors include harmful cultural attitudes about gender roles, exposure to domestic violence, partner alcohol consumption, lower educational attainment, desire for more children and food insecurity, which can drive harmful practices such as early marriage and transactional sex.
Koome urged Kenyans to speak openly about the offence and to warn against it, saying ending sexual violence will require a collective change in attitudes and a rejection of harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and forced marriage.
