New policy makes it difficult for women to leave abusive unions

Principal Secretary Labour Joseph Motari, First Lady Rachael Ruto and CS Florence Bore during the launch of the National Policy on Family Promotion and Protection policy at KICC Nairobi on May 15, 2024. [Samson Wire, Standard]

Last week, First Lady Rachel Ruto officially launched the National Policy on Family Promotion and Protection. The document is expected to operationalise Article 45 of the Constitution, which recognises the family as the natural and fundamental unit of society and the necessary basis of social order.

While the policy recognises the different types of Kenyan families, it is essential to note that discrimination exists if your family does not look like what is stipulated within the policy. It is appalling that the policy fails to recognise the realities of many types of families, like refugee families and chosen families. Family means different things to different people, but at its core, it means love and support, which is non-existent in the launched policy. Instead, the policy places a great emphasis on "protecting marriage" from divorce without addressing the genuine reasons many women seek divorce in the first place.