Kajiado Leaders Call for Stronger Action to Curb Gender-Based Violence in Digital Spaces
This year, the theme will be all about digital safety, whereby communities are urged to make sure women and girls are free to prosper online with no fear.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign running from November 25 to December 10.Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
Leaders in Kajiado County have called for more concerted efforts in combating the increasing threat of online gender-based violence, cautioning that abuse on digital platforms is increasingly becoming as injurious as physical violence committed within homes and communities.
While speaking during the commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Edna Lenku, wife to Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku, made it known that while the digital world is an enriched avenue for education, creativity, and contact, it has increasingly become a risky space for women and girls.
He noted that most young women are exposed to cyberbullying, harassment, exploitation, and other harmful content online, which has long-lasting effects on their mental and emotional health. She echoed that the psychological trauma inflicted online can rival that of offline abuse.
“The impact of digital violence extends beyond the screen, into how girls and women view themselves, their interactions with others, and their roles within society,” she added. She continued by urging parents, teachers, community influencers, and young people to actively promote responsible internet usage, report bad acts, and create an enabling environment that protects users who are vulnerable to such attacks.
According to Lenku, cultivating empathy, accountability, and respect online, too, matters a lot, just like safety in physical spaces. She hailed Kajiado County for sustained efforts toward ending gender-based violence and remembered the gesture on November 25, 2025, in Suswa, where elders and cultural leaders in Kajiado and Narok counties declared their commitment to retiring female genital mutilation in the Maa communities-a gesture she termed as a powerful sign of cultural leadership for change.
Kajiado County Gender Officer Catherine Mutinda cautioned the same, warning that gender-based violence remains rampant and called on the residents to raise their voices. “GBV is still a major challenge in our communities. No one should keep quiet when it happens,” she said. According to Mutinda, the county’s newly launched GBV Prevention and Response Policy was going to elevate legal frameworks by offering more protection to survivors and increasing the prevention of such violence.
According to Samuel Onsarigo, director of the local NGO Light Up Hope Africa, “It takes collective commitment toward combating GBV”. “Communities, leaders, civil society, and government institutions must collaborate in meaningfully bringing desired changes, which take time,” he said. “Ending gender-based violence is not the responsibility of one person or institution,” he said. The 16 Days of Activism campaign, observed globally from November 25 to December 10, calls for increased awareness, policy reform, and unified action to eradicate violence against women and girls. This year, the theme will be all about digital safety, whereby communities are urged to make sure women and girls are free to prosper online with no fear.
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