Survey shows more women are being sexually abused by their partners

One in four women surveyed in four counties said they experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse from their partners.

The survey, conducted by Performance Monitoring for Action, Agile 2 in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, covered Bungoma, Kakamega, West Pokot and Kiambu counties.

It showed that of about 4,000 women in four counties – 40 percent – reported some form of violence by their partners. Most women from the 23,588 households were between 15 and 49 years old and married at the time of the survey.

In Kakamega, 50 percent of the 799 women surveyed reported sexual abuse. In Bungoma, 47 percent of the 820 women reported abuse, while in West Pokot, 43 percent of the 899 women surveyed experienced abuse. In Kiambu, 25 percent of the 803 women reported incidents of violence.

“If he asks for sexual intercourse and you don’t feel like it, he insults you and asks: ‘Do you know that I paid dowry for you?’ So you are forced to do it involuntarily. If you hesitate, he can even beat you up,” said a 27-year-old helper from West Pokot.

The report, collected between May and July 2024, reported that 47 percent of respondents reported sexual harassment, with 34 percent saying someone made unwanted sexual comments, jokes or gestures toward them.

38 percent reported that someone stared at them suggestively, while 21 percent said someone touched them in a way that made them uncomfortable.

Kakamega County topped with 54 percent of women experiencing sexual harassment, followed by Kiambu with 47 percent, Bungoma with 44 percent and West Pokot with 30 percent.

According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic Health Survey, 34 percent of women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence since the age of 15.

The government, through its global co-leadership of the Generation Equality Action Coalition, is committed to ending gender-based violence (GBV) by 2026, and Kenya has a robust legal framework on gender-based violence, with a myriad of laws that are effective when effectively enforced could significantly reduce such violence.

But despite the frightening figures, fewer than one in four survivors sought help from formal services, with West Pokot leading the way in the number of women seeking help. In the district, only 13 percent sought help in emergency shelters, five percent from the police, traditional healers 11 percent, lawyers three percent, medical services 23 percent and advice 19 percent.

In Kakamega County, seven percent sought help from shelters, two percent from the police, traditional healers two percent, three percent sought help through legal channels, medical services 12 percent and counseling 16 percent.

In Bungoma, three percent sought help in shelters, four percent from the police, traditional healers one percent, lawyers two percent, medical services nine percent and counseling seven percent.

In Kiambu County, three percent sought help from shelters, two percent from the police, one percent from traditional healers, none sought legal assistance, six percent sought medical help and four percent sought counseling.

Survivors expressed frustration and a lack of support in accessing formal services, with the majority of women citing a lack of trust in police and health services to respond to gender-based violence.

Only about a quarter of survivors sought help from a formal service, with medical services followed by counseling being the most commonly used services.

Another respondent reported: “I believe that if 72 hours have not passed, you can be helped if you contract an illness.” But when I got to the hospital they told me it was a police case and I had to include them. I was sent to the police station where the officers told me to go back to the hospital and return home later. I assumed that I would be helped further. But imagine walking around and seeing this person who sexually abused you walking around freely. Nothing was done to him. That hurts a lot.”

“Lack of trust and support from service providers continues to be a barrier to women seeking formal help. Only a quarter of survivors spoke informally to another person about their experiences,” said Prof. Michele Decker when presenting the study results.

She said the data is important because it is necessary to understand issues in order to program policies that respond to the space.

Overall, only 21 percent of respondents had confidence in gender-based violence police services, with Kakamega and West Pokot recording a tie at 22 percent and Kiambu and Bugoma counties at 21 percent.

“Some police officers will want to sleep with you so they can help you. If you refuse, you will continue to suffer. At some point you give up seeking justice,” said a 33-year-old participant.

Another respondent from Kakamega said: “When doctors ask you what happened, you lie that you hit yourself because if you say your husband hit you, it is shameful and the doctors might laugh at you.”

The survey also found that a total of 30 percent of women experienced technological abuse, with 17 percent reporting their partners looked at their phones without their permission and 17 percent being repeatedly asked in text messages where they were or what they were doing. Four Percent were forced to reveal their M-Pesa details, password or history on their phones.