On 17th May 2022, Hon. Justice Odunga of the Machakos High Court ruled that the mandatory minimum sentences provided by the Sexual Offences Act for sexual offences are unconstitutional and that they limit the discretion of the court to determine the appropriate sentence to impose. Consequently, various courts across Kenya are now faced with an overwhelming number of applications for resentencing by prisoners previously convicted of sexual offences. This precedent claws back on the gains made by women rights movements over the years to ensure that gender-based violence is treated with the urgency and weight it deserves.

We congratulate the newly elected governors for breaking the barriers and shattering the glass ceiling. This is an indication that Kenyans are making a shift from the patriarchal underpinnings that have long undermined prospects of women’s leadership in social, economic and political spaces.

CREAW is proud to be a strategic partner in the SHE SOARS (Sexual and reproductive Health & Economic empowerment Supporting Out of school Adolescent girls’ Rights and Skills) program in Dagoretti North and Westlands subcounty.