The National Police Service (NPS) will take on a larger role in Kenya’s battle against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage Hannah Wendot Cheptumo has said.
Appearing before the Senate Plenary, CS Cheptumo outlined a series of collaborative initiatives between her Ministry and the NPS aimed at addressing both rising GBV cases and the challenges facing the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF), which has undergone recent reforms.
Police Gender Desks to Strengthen Community Outreach
In response to a question from Senator Catherine Mumma, the Cabinet Secretary said the Ministry has mobilized the NPS—particularly through its Gender Desks—to engage women’s groups, conduct grassroots sensitization campaigns, monitor loan repayment behavior, and counter misinformation about the Fund’s digital platform.
“This partnership is grounded in the police service’s widespread reach and existing mandate. We are not assigning them special contracts but equipping them to support women's economic empowerment and safety,” Cheptumo said.She explained that the NPS is playing a dual role: helping restore trust in government economic programs and reinforcing community-based prevention of GBV.
Specialized GBV Courts and Shelter Expansion Underway
Responding to Senator Tom Ojienda’s concerns about the GBV crisis, the CS highlighted new efforts to bolster enforcement and victim protection mechanisms. These include the establishment of 12 specialized GBV courts in hotspots such as Siaya, Kisumu, and Nairobi.
Additionally, Cheptumo announced that 97 women’s shelters have been identified across 18 counties to support survivors, with enhanced safety protocols now in place for all women, including WEF beneficiaries.
“These shelters are part of a broader framework to ensure women in distress are not just protected but also empowered to recover and rebuild,” she stated.A Presidential Working Group on Femicide, established in December 2024, is also reviewing policy and legal frameworks around GBV response, prosecution, and prevention.
Women Enterprise Fund Linked to GBV Resilience
Though much of the session focused on WEF’s digital transition and performance, Cheptumo drew a direct connection between economic vulnerability and exposure to violence.
The WEF’s digital platform, which provided loans to over 18,955 women groups totaling Ksh. 941.9 million between July and September 2023, was suspended due to widespread defaults. The system’s limitations—small loan amounts and lack of adequate tracking—contributed to frustrations that, in some cases, increased domestic tensions.
Reverting to the manual system in December 2024 has led to improved disbursements, with Ksh. 457.4 million going to 12,538 women in 1,180 groups.
Cheptumo stressed that by enhancing economic security through better-designed lending models and using local police units for community engagement, the Ministry is attacking GBV from multiple angles—economic, social, and legal.
Senators Press for Broader Inclusion and Accountability
Senators also questioned the Ministry on other gender-related concerns, ranging from access to credit for single mothers and women with disabilities, to strategies for easing collateral demands.
Cheptumo confirmed that informal social structures—such as village elders and chiefs—are being used to verify and support borrowers. She also cited efforts to customize loan products for persons with disabilities and stressed the importance of training programs delivered in local languages.
“Our officers are trained to educate women not only on financial literacy but also on their rights and how to seek help when threatened. The police are vital partners in that education process,” she noted.A Commitment to Safety and Empowerment
In her closing remarks, CS Cheptumo assured the Senate that the government is fully committed to ensuring women’s safety and economic inclusion.
“Through our partnership with the police and reforms to both the WEF and GBV response systems, we are fostering empowerment and security for all women in Kenya. No woman should feel unsafe or excluded from opportunity,” she said.She pledged increased funding for shelters, stronger inter-agency coordination, and the rollout of a Gender Information Management System (GIMS) to better track GBV cases and interventions.
The message from the Cabinet Secretary was clear: Kenya’s police are no longer just enforcers—they are frontline agents in the fight to protect women and foster economic resilience.
