With five new laws to protect women, why is gender violence still prevalent?

NAIROBI: The National Assembly has in the last two years approved five key laws to shield women and children from abuse and trafficking, and to create a level playing field in nation-building. One more law is in the legislative pipeline, and once enacted, will help deal with how to protect women, and some men, who are abused in their homes. Another one, to give the fairer sex a numerical boost in male-dominated elective politics, is still a scary proposal that the men won’t touch.

The Victims Protection Act, the Marriage Act, the Matrimonial Properties Act, the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act and the Treaty Making and Ratification Act join the Sexual Offences Act as part of the legal arsenal that women in Kenya can now rely on to fight off abuse, violence, and general injustice meted out on them just because of their gender.