Nairobi — One in four Kenyan women has experienced online abuse, with a new national survey exposing the scale of technology-facilitated gender-based violence across the country.
The 2025/2026 Kenya Mini Demographic and Health Survey (Mini DHS) found that 26 per cent of women had experienced technology-facilitated gender-based violence at some point in their lives, while 21 per cent had faced such abuse in the 12 months preceding the survey.
The findings by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) highlight the growing threat of digital harassment targeting women through social media, messaging platforms and other forms of technology.
Platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as text messages, were identified among the channels through which the abuse occurred.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
The report further indicates that current or former husbands and partners are among the alleged perpetrators, alongside strangers and online stalkers.
Women in counties including Narok, Kajiado and Samburu recorded some of the highest levels of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, according to the survey.
The findings come amid growing concerns over online harassment, cyberstalking and the use of digital platforms to threaten, intimidate or exploit women.
Beyond documenting cases of digital abuse, the survey examined public attitudes towards victim-blaming and how communities would respond when they suspected a woman or girl was at risk of violence.
The findings underscore the need for stronger digital safety awareness, improved reporting mechanisms and more effective responses to gender-based violence both online and offline.
They are expected to inform national and county-level interventions aimed at protecting women and girls from abuse, including violence facilitated by digital technologies.
Read the original article on Capital FM.
AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.
AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.
To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.
There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.