Female senators call for strict laws against sex pests
National
By
Edwin Nyarangi
| Oct 13, 2025
The Kenya Women Senators Association (KEWOSA) is advocating for tougher measures against men who impregnate underage girls and those guilty of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
The omnibus bill, currently being drafted, seeks to amend the Children Act (2022), the Sexual Offenses Act (2006), the Basic Education Act (2013), the Marriage Act (2014), and the Counter-Trafficking of Persons Act (2010) to close loopholes exploited by sexual predators.
The proposed legislation, championed by KEWOSA, aims to introduce double punishment for offenders, including mandatory compensation to victims, in an effort to curb the rising cases of teenage pregnancies and sexual violence across the country.
KEWOSA Vice Chairperson and Nominated Senator Hezena Lemaletian, said that victims of these heinous crimes should receive adequate support and compensation through the proposed establishment of a compensation and reparation framework requiring offenders to make restitution to their victims.
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“Kenya Women Senators Association wants the State to establish and adequately fund safe spaces and shelters to protect survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, particularly in cases where perpetrators are family members,” said Lemaletian.
The Nominated Senator added that other proposals include ensuring proper collection and preservation of forensic evidence by police to strengthen prosecutions, and introducing video link and recorded testimonies to protect victims and witnesses from intimidation.
Lemaletian noted that the bill seeks to outlaw informal or “kangaroo” courts handling SGBV and early pregnancy cases, ensuring due process and fair justice. She further called on the government to negotiate bilateral agreements with neighboring countries to repatriate cross-border offenders for trial.
The initiative follows a recent Senate visit to Busia County, where KEWOSA, chaired by Nominated Senator Veronica Maina, uncovered alarming cases of teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence.
“Statistics from the National Syndemic Disease Control Council show that between 2016 and 2024, 65,540 teenage pregnancies were recorded in Busia County alone. In 2024, 4,542 cases were reported, with Samia Sub-County registering the highest rate nationally,” said Maina.
She noted that teenage pregnancies remain one of the biggest barriers to girls’ education and empowerment, with statistics showing that countrywide, 47,632 teenage pregnancies were recorded in 2024 — denying young girls the opportunity to complete their basic education and achieve economic independence.
The Nominated Senator warned that many young mothers face serious health complications, including maternal morbidity, mortality, and increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
Alongside teenage pregnancies, SGBV continues to devastate adolescents across Kenya. Statistics show that between 2016 and 2024, 2,884 SGBV cases were reported among adolescents in Busia, with a sharp increase from 66 cases in 2016 to 480 cases in 2024.
Further data indicates that adolescents now account for 23 percent of all reported SGBV cases between 2017 and 2024. During the same period, 171 girls became pregnant as a result of defilement, while nationally, the number of SGBV cases reported in 2024 stood at 47,632.
“While Kenya’s legal framework against sexual offenses is robust, enforcement gaps and weak implementation have hindered justice. These statistics underscore the urgent need for collective action to protect young girls from the intersecting threats of sexual violence and early pregnancies,” said Maina.
Existing laws — including Article 53 of the Constitution, the Children Act (2022), and the Sexual Offenses Act (2006) — already prescribe harsh penalties such as life imprisonment for defiling children aged 11 and below, a minimum of 20 years for those aged 12–15, 15 years for those aged 16–18, and at least 10 years for attempted defilement.
The female senators emphasized that despite these laws and penalties, enforcement remains slow and inconsistent. They called on the Judiciary to act more expeditiously and resolutely in applying these provisions, noting that delayed justice emboldens perpetrators and further victimizes survivors.