At least 2,100 violence and harassment cases against sexual and gender minorities were reported in Kenya between October 2023 and September 2024, according to a coalition of rights groups.

The report titled Lives on the Line documented some 682 incidents of harassment, 440 physical assaults, 91 sexual violations, and 102 evictions.

Nairobi, Thika, Machakos, and the Coast region accounted for more than 80 percent of the cases.

Transgender persons were the most affected, reporting 708 violations, nearly a third of all abuses.

“The data shows persistent abuse that cannot be ignored. This calls for urgent action to uphold constitutional guarantees of equality and dignity,” the report noted.

“Lives are literally on the line, and society can no longer turn a blind eye,” said Adrian Kibe of Kenya Human Rights Commission during the report’s launch.

The findings also showed that most perpetrators were people known to the survivors, including intimate partners, family members, clients, and service providers.

In December 2024, national statistics indicated that gender-based violence (GBV) cases in Kenya exceeded the global average of 27 percent.

Gender coordinator at Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) Kenya, Naima Ali, said the figure stood at 38 percent, though many cases go unreported.

“Most victims experience GBV at the hands of people close to them. Such cases are handled privately, while others go unreported due to fear of victimisation,” she said during the launch of AKF Kenya’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Strategy in Mombasa.

Earlier this year, stakeholders submitted a legal framework  to the Technical Working Group on GBV, highlighting gaps in addressing the crisis, citing weak laws, poorly equipped gender desks, and systemic failures in the justice system.

Women lawmakers under the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) called the Sexual Offences Act ineffective in tackling sexual and gender-based violence. They recommended reviewing the Sexual Offences Act of 2006, the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, and the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act to strengthen enforcement.

“As the digital space increasingly becomes a site of exploitation and harm, legislative amendments are necessary to ensure comprehensive protection,” said KEWOPA chairperson Leah Sankaire.