Women in Kenya continue to experience Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV), with digital platforms increasingly being used to harass, intimidate, exploit and violate their privacy. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the abuse takes different forms, including online surveillance and controlling behaviour, cyberbullying, hacking, sexual harassment, doxing, sextortion and the creation or distribution of manipulated images and deepfakes.
Trans Nzoia Records Highest Cases of Online Gender-Based Violence
Findings from the Kenya Mini Demographic and Health Survey 2025/2026 show that Trans Nzoia County recorded the highest prevalence of TFGBV among women aged 15 to 49, at 29 per cent. Machakos and Kericho counties followed closely, each recording a prevalence rate of 28 per cent.
On the other hand, Wajir and Mandera counties reported the lowest prevalence, with each recording only 2 per cent. The findings highlight the varying levels of technology-facilitated abuse experienced by women across different parts of the country.
Online Control Emerges as the Most Common Form of Abuse
The KNBS survey established that online controlling behaviour was the leading form of technology-facilitated violence against women. Approximately 19 per cent of women reported experiencing online control within the 12 months preceding the 2025 survey. Other forms of abuse included online harassment and hacking, each reported by 5 per cent of women, while 3 per cent experienced online sexual harassment or sexual abuse.
The report further established that 27 per cent of women had experienced technology-facilitated gender-based violence involving a current or former husband or intimate partner.
Intimate Partners and Strangers Among the Main Perpetrators
The survey also examined the relationship between victims and those responsible for the online abuse. Among women who had ever been married or had an intimate partner, current husbands or partners accounted for 61 per cent of reported perpetrators. Former husbands or partners represented 22 per cent, while strangers accounted for 13 per cent. For women who had never been married or had never been in an intimate relationship, strangers were the leading perpetrators at 45 per cent.
Online attackers accounted for 23 per cent of cases, while friends and acquaintances represented 20 per cent. These findings demonstrate that technology-facilitated abuse can originate from both personal relationships and individuals outside victims’ social circles.
Facebook Leads Among Platforms Where Women Experience Abuse
Social media and messaging platforms have also emerged as common spaces where technology-facilitated gender-based violence occurs. Facebook was identified as the leading platform, with 59 per cent of affected women reporting experiences of abuse through the platform.
Messaging applications followed, accounting for 47 per cent of reported experiences. The findings raise concerns about the safety of women in digital spaces and the growing need for stronger measures to prevent online harassment, protect personal information and hold perpetrators accountable.
UNICEF Raises Alarm Over Online Sexual Abuse of Children
Beyond women, children in Kenya are also increasingly exposed to technology-facilitated violence, including online sexual exploitation and abuse. A report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in September revealed that more than 1.2 million children aged between 12 and 17 had experienced at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse.
The report placed the number of affected children at 1,292,364, highlighting the scale of online safety concerns among young internet users in the country. The findings were drawn from surveys conducted during the 2020–2021 and 2024–2025 periods and established that 26.83 per cent of children in Kenya who used the internet had experienced at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual abuse.
Unwanted Sexual Content Among the Most Reported Forms of Abuse
According to UNICEF, exposure to unwanted sexual content was among the most common forms of online abuse affecting children. An estimated 995,260 children reported being exposed to sexual images or videos they did not want to see.
The findings have renewed calls for greater protection of children online, with parents, caregivers, technology companies and government agencies being urged to strengthen measures aimed at making digital platforms safer. As internet use continues to grow in Kenya, the KNBS and UNICEF findings underscore the importance of addressing online violence through public awareness, stronger digital safety measures, improved reporting mechanisms and accountability for perpetrators.
