THE Kenyan government on Thursday declared gender-based violence the nation’s most pressing security threat.

This comes after figures revealed that 100 women had been killed in the last four months, mostly by men they knew.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi described the escalating crisis as “the elephant in the room,” and said authorities have investigated most of the cases, which are pending in court.

Since September 2023, a staggering 7,107 cases of sexual and gender-based violence have been reported in Kenya, said Mr Mudavadi, adding that the police inspector-general has formed a specialised unit to combat femicides — the killing of girls or women because of their gender.

As Kenya continues to grapple with the epidemic of gender-based violence, human rights groups have held demonstrations, calling for justice for the victims and their families.

In November, President William Ruto directed police to investigate gender-based violence cases while painting a grim picture of the murders.

The president said: “We know that four out of five women killed in Kenya are victims of intimate partner violence. This means our women are being killed in places they should feel safe.”

Kenya’s Cabinet this week approved the setting up of a presidential working group to provide recommendations on how to stop gender-based violence.