For years, Kenya’s national conversation on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) has largely focused, and rightly so, on the alarming rise in femicide and brutality against women.
Yet beneath the surface, another troubling pattern is emerging of men being victims of intimate partner violence, sometimes with fatal consequences.
Several incidents in the recent past have revealed a disturbing trend of women attacking, maiming, or killing their male partners in relationships gone sour.
While statistically less common than male-perpetrated violence, experts warn that violence against men is underreported, stigmatised, and often ignored.
Just a few days ago, Clare, a second-year Education (Science) student at Chuka University allegedly stabbed her boyfriend Kelvin (Kevoo) to death following a disagreement after a night-out.
According to police reports, Ibrahim Mulinge, the head of security at the university, alerted authorities after the body of the 22-year-old Kelvin was discovered at Rovines Hostel in Ngangani.
Police officers who documented the scene noted signs of a struggle, scattered items and blood stains splattered in the room.
Reports indicate the lovers had been drinking before an altercation erupted. The boyfriend allegedly began assaulting Claire. In what she described as self-defense, she stabbed him in the neck and chest, causing fatal injuries.
Claire fled the scene, later leaving behind suicide notes before taking her own life.
Court cases
“The best decision for the both of us. It was an act of self-defense. I didn’t really mean to kill him. He was strangling me and I decided to defend myself. It reached this extend that Kevo was gone. I regret my deed so much,” she wrote.
Her death has reignited debate about toxic relationships, mental health pressures, and the escalating violent disputes among partners.
The Chuka case is not isolated. The country has been witnessing similar incidences involving women either killing or harming the opposite gender.
One of the most publicised case is that of Ruth Wanjiku Kamande who is serving the death sentence for killing her boyfriend Farid Mohamed Halim in 2015. In April last year, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against her.
Ruth, who stabbed Farid 25 times at their Buruburu home, had argued she acted in self-defense. The court ruled the killing was premeditated.
Her case, once sensationalized after she was crowned Miss Lang’ata Women’s Prison, ended a nearly decade-long legal battle that stirred national debate about domestic violence and mental health.
Even as Kenyans keenly followed the court case, Salome Wanjiru stabbed her boyfriend Conrad Nyabuto 27 times in December 2024 at Kamakis, Ruiru.
Then last November, 48-year-old Lilian Moraa Mbeki was arrested after her boyfriend Festus Oromo fell to his death from the 14th floor of an apartment on Kindaruma Road in Kilimani following a physical altercation. Police allege she pushed him off the balcony.
In Homa Bay County, 19-year-old Lucy Anyango was arrested after stabbing her husband over his plans to marry a second wife. She later surrendered to authorities.
Not long ago, Steve Godia, a student at Multimedia University of Kenya, was allegedly scalded with hot water by his girlfriend in a violent confrontation.
According to Steve, the woman, whom he identified as Gladwell Kagai, had been in a relationship with him for three years. On the night of February 13, she visited his house following earlier disagreements over suspicions that he was still in contact with a former partner.
He says they initially argued but later appeared to have resolved the matter.
“On the fateful day, we had an argument, but we resolved it. I went to relax and take a nap, and that is when hell broke loose,” he recalled.
Money
Steve alleges that, in the dead of night, his girlfriend boiled water and poured it onto his face as he rested.
Moments after the alleged attack, CCTV cameras captured a woman leaving the premises in a hurry. Steve says the footage shows the suspect departing shortly after he screamed for help.
The physical injuries, however, were only part of his ordeal.
As he lay helpless and in excruciating pain, Steve claims the suspect took advantage of his condition to steal two of his mobile phones. He further alleges that she accessed his mobile banking applications and transferred more than Sh300,000 from his account.
“I realised she had stolen my two phones and transferred all the money I had. I had Sh318,000 and she left me with Sh7 only,” he said.
These cases cut across regions and socio-economic backgrounds and, increasingly, involve partners of young age.
Experts warn that young relationships often combine emotional immaturity, alcohol, financial dependency, jealousy, and limited coping mechanisms, creating volatile environments.
“Many young people lack conflict resolution skills. When emotions escalate, they resort to violence,” says a Nairobi-based psychologist who requested anonymity. “Men rarely report being abused because of stigma.”
The 2026 Taskforce on National Response to Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, chaired by former Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza, documented over 600 murders of women between 2016 and 2024.
The report called for declaring GBV a national crisis and strengthening survivour-centred justice.
“It is a reflection of voices, fears and hopes of Kenyan people, especially survivors of gender-based violence,” President William Ruto said while receiving the report.
The President acknowledged the findings were “deeply troubling” and called for collective national action.
While women bear the disproportionate burden of GBV, the report also noted that violence affects men and boys.
Research shows up to 28.3 per cent of intimate partner violence cases are unidirectional from female to male while 57.9 per cent are bidirectional. Yet societal perceptions often dismiss male victims.
“Men are increasingly being targeted and destroyed by a system that turns a blind eye when the abuser is a woman,” says a men’s rights advocate in Nairobi.
Globally, studies suggest 23 per cent of women compared to 19.3 per cent of men report having been assaulted by a partner, highlighting the reality that intimate partner violence is not exclusively male-perpetrated.
Yet cultural expectations discourage men from speaking out.
“There is shame attached. A man fears being scorned for reporting that he has been beaten by a woman,” notes Philip Amuyunzu, a lecturer at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.
Although police data shows most homicide suspects are male, and most victims are female, breakdown of men killed by female partners receive far less public attention.
Advocates argue that, in focusing solely on female victimhood, society risks overlooking vulnerabilities facing boys and men.
Awareness
“We must protect women but we should also acknowledge that violence is violence, regardless of the victim’s gender,” says Peter Muriuki, a gender policy analyst.
The GBV taskforce recommended better data systems to capture all cases accurately, institutional coordination, and stronger public awareness campaigns.
Amnesty International Kenya has urged for swift implementation of the report’s recommendations, warning that delays undermine public safety.
In an open letter to Gender Cabinet Secretary Hanna Cheptumo, Amnesty expressed concern at the inertia in implementing some of the recommendations.
The organisation described the delay as unacceptable and urged immediate action to operationalise a national emergency strategy to tackle the problem.
“Days have lapsed, and the Gender Cabinet Secretary is yet to present the Cabinet Memo to implement the GBV Taskforce report. We have written to her office reminding her of her obligation to prioritise this instrument and operationalise a national emergency response to stop the rising femicide crisis in Kenya. No more delays,” Amnesty said.
The memorandum is expected to advance the recommendations, among them declaring femicide a national crisis, mainstreaming gender-responsive budgeting across government, and supporting legal reforms to recognise femicide as a standalone offence in the Penal Code.
Amnesty Kenya cited findings from a recent report by Africa Uncensored and Africa Data Hub, “Counting the Cost: A Decade of Femicide in Kenya (2016–2025),” which show that homes remain the most dangerous spaces for women.
The report found that more than 70 per cent of femicides occur at home, mostly perpetrated by intimate partners, with victims often stabbed (23 per cent) or strangled (9 per cent).
It also noted that response times by police, prosecutors and the Judiciary remain slow, with cases taking an average of four years to conclude in counties such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Kiambu, Garissa and Kericho.
“The national crisis does not only affect women and girls, as the horrendous attack on Umoja resident Steve Godia demonstrates,” the letter said, referring to the recent incident in which a woman attacked a male partner, and underscoring the need for systemic reforms.
Many cases involve mutual violence, alcohol abuse, economic strain, or long-standing toxic dynamics. Though some women perpetrators claim self-defense; courts must carefully evaluate evidence.
Ultimately, Muriuki says the solution lies in promoting healthy relationships, strengthening campus counseling services, expanding support hotlines for all victims, and teaching conflict resolution from an early age.
“Violence is not a gender competition. It is a societal crisis,” observed the gender policy analyst.
Female-perpetrated abuse against men often involves psychological, emotional, and physical violence, including coercive control, stalking, and physical assaults.
Men often do not report abuse due to stigma, fear of not being believed, or the belief that they can handle it, making exact figures difficult to ascertain.
While 90 per cent of homicide suspects are male, cases of fatal violence by women against men are a recognized, though less frequent, form of domestic homicide. Studies have shown that Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is not solely a male-perpetrated issue, with significant percentages of men experiencing abuse from female partners.
The belief that men cannot be victims of domestic violence contributes to the lack of support and reporting for male victims.