NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 28 – The President of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Eric Theuri has attributed the delayed justice for victims of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) to inadequate resources allocated to the Judiciary.
Speaking during the ‘End Femicide March’ in Nairobi on Saturday, Theuri emphasized that the shortage of judges and magistrates due to insufficient government resource allocation has resulted in the protracted resolution of GBV cases.
“The Judiciary lacks the necessary resources to establish more courts and hire additional magistrates and judges, which are essential to expedite these cases. Currently, we are facing a shortage of approximately 100 judges and 200 magistrates and adjudicators,” stated Theuri.
The Saturday morning march, which drew a large gathering of women in Nairobi’s Central Business District, aimed to protest against the recent surge in violent killings of young women in the city.
The LSK President appealed to the government to provide support to the Judiciary, the police, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to enhance their capacity to perform their duties effectively.
“We urge the government to bolster the capabilities of the police and the DCI so that they can better investigate and prosecute increasingly complex crimes, many of which have an online dimension and require significant resources,” Theuri urged.
The government has established courts specifically dedicated to handling Gender-Based Violence cases. In 2023, the government inaugurated at least five Sexual and Gender-Based Violence courts across the country in Siaya, Kisumu, Kibera, and Makadara, respectively.
The LSK President assured Kenyan women and girls that the Law Society of Kenya is committed to actively lobbying the government to combat femicide.
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris, who also participated in the march, proposed the establishment of specialized courts to address femicide cases and suggested harsher sentences for perpetrators.
“These offences, when evidence is clear, should not be bailable, and we should consider reinstating the death penalty because some believe they can escape justice, and being in prison is not a significant deterrent,” she asserted.
According to the Africa Data Hub, 75 per cent of femicide cases are committed by individuals well-acquainted with the victims, such as intimate partners, relatives, or friends, while only 15 per cent involve strangers.
“Following an extensive examination of the legal processes, we have found that once a perpetrator is arrested and brought to court, it takes an average of 1,900 days for a case to be concluded and the suspect to be sentenced,” revealed the findings covering the period from 2016 to 2023.
