Karua: State failing to protect women, children from violence

People's Liberation Party Leader Martha Karua addresses a press conference in Nairobi alongside champions against gender-based violence, on Tueday, July 14, 2026. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

People's Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has accused President William Ruto's administration of failing its constitutional duty to protect Kenyans from escalating violence against women and children.

Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, July 14, Karua said weak enforcement of existing laws and systemic failures continue to put lives at risk, describing the situation as both a constitutional and governance crisis.

"We wake up every day to women assaulted, children abused, young girls violated and women's lives cut short by senseless violence," said Karua.

She called on the Ministries of Interior and Gender, the National Police Service, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) to take urgent action.

Karua urged the Ruto administration to fully implement the report of the Nancy Baraza-led Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence Including Femicide, with clear timelines, adequate funding and measurable targets.

The taskforce submitted its report to Ruto at State House on January 26.

She also called for reforms in the police service and judiciary to speed up justice, protect survivors from re-traumatisation and guarantee equal treatment for victims.

"Many women live in fear despite a constitution that guarantees the right to life, equality, dignity, freedom and equal protection from violence for all Kenyans," added Karua.

Karua criticised the government's handling of the Kware dumpsite killings, questioning how dozens of dismembered bodies were dumped near a police station and how the main suspect escaped from custody.

"To date, we are not sure whether it was 40 bodies or more because the government did not conduct thorough excavations to establish the full extent of the crime, despite the site being only a few metres from a police station," noted Karua.

"We were told one suspect was arrested, yet it is difficult to believe one person could have dismembered and transported all those bodies alone. You then wonder how investigations stalled and how the suspect escaped from custody without anyone being held accountable," she said.

Karua cited statistics showing that between January 2025 and March 2026, Kenya recorded 10,500 child protection cases, including 1,600 missing children, 2,000 abductions, 6,800 child abandonment cases and 173 child trafficking cases.

She blamed weak enforcement and a growing culture of politically-linked goonism, fuelled by youth unemployment, for the widespread impunity.

"Impunity continues because leaders have failed. We are seeing goons operating alongside police or under their protection. Hopelessness and unemployment fuel crime, while weak institutions embolden perpetrators," said Karua.

Kenya Human Rights Commission representative Adrian Kibe, also present at the briefing, said electoral-related sexual and gender-based violence is increasingly used to intimidate and exclude women from politics.

"Electoral-related sexual and gender-based violence is a deliberate tactic used to intimidate, silence and exclude women from participating in democracy. There can be no justification for it," said Kibe.

Kibe called on the government to dismantle criminal gangs allegedly used for political violence, prosecute those responsible and ensure police protect all Kenyans without discrimination.

Karua declared the launch of the "Act Now to End GBV" campaign, an initiative pushing institutions and duty bearers to move beyond recommendations and fully implement measures to end gender-based violence.