Experiencing technology-facilitated gender-based violence in Kenya: Lived experiences of women and girls

Technology is increasingly used as a weapon to harass, exploit, and control women and girls in Kenya. Survivors experience shame, trauma, and public exposure that can lead to social isolation, economic loss, or withdrawal from public life altogether. While legal frameworks like the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act exist, implementation is patchy, and survivors report delays, dismissiveness, and lack of support from police and the courts.

This report builds on our global series documenting the lived experiences of online gender-based violence to inform systemic reform. Importantly, survivors described justice not only as a legal resolution, but as regaining control over their narratives, restoring their dignity, and ensuring the content is removed. By strengthening laws and amplifying survivor voices, Kenya can become a regional leader in online rights protection.

This report calls for a coordinated, rights-based response that centres survivors at every stage.

Recommendations

• Strengthen survivor-centred laws and enforcement: Ensure TFGBV is addressed explicitly in Kenyan law and consistently applied in practice.
• Improve intermediary responsibility: Mandate timely and transparent responses from platforms when TFGBV is reported.
• Embed trauma-informed approaches: Train cybercrime units, courts, and police in survivor-sensitive protocols.
• Public education and stigma reduction: Tackle harmful narratives that shame or blame survivors.
• Ensure timely digital evidence handling: Build the capacity of law enforcement to gather and protect electronic evidence.
• Amplify survivors’ voices: Involve survivors in shaping policy and ensuring redress mechanisms meet their actual needs.
• Invest in digital literacy and protection tools: Equip women and girls with knowledge to prevent and respond to TFGBV.
• Strengthen legal awareness: Support paralegal programs and community legal education on cyber rights.
• Foster collaboration between government, civil society, and tech: Establish multi-stakeholder mechanisms for prevention and accountability.

Read the full report and join us in demanding stronger online protections for women and girls.