Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), a nonprofit making organisation, has partnered with Police in Mombasa to fight increasing cases of Gender-Based violence against women and girls.
Speaking from Shelly Beach police station in Likoni, Mombasa, yesterday, the organisation’s coast regional lead, Margret Ochieng, said the team was working collaboratively to combat Gender- Based Violence (GBV), focusing on strengthening gender desks across the region by equipping police stations with relevant equipment to ensure they are well established to provide better response and support services to GBV survivors
Ochieng said they have opted to support police stations since they are always the first stop for victims of Gender-Based violence.
She lauded Shelly Beach police officers for the good work they were doing in fighting GBV, noting that the station had recorded a high number of cases that have successfully gone through in court
GBV experts came out recently to push for more police care centres and stronger enforcement of policies, noting that Kenya had the best GBV policies and that the only challenge was their implementation.
Based on recent reports from 2024–2026, Kenya is experiencing a severe increase in Sexual and Gender-Based violence (SGBV), with over 31,000 cases reported in the 2024/25 financial year. The highest concentration of SGBV court cases is found in nine hotspot counties, with Nairobi, Meru, and Kiambu leading in reported cases
In Coast region, the reports also revealed that GBV cases were on the rise, indicating a high prevalence of sexual violence, child abuse, and domestic violence across Kilifi, Mombasa, and Taita Taveta counties.
Kilifi County, which has been described as a hotspot for child abuse, is leading after over 420 cases of GBV, defilement, and teenage pregnancies were reported between January and September 2025 followed by Taita Taveta then Mombasa.
Taita Taveta county officials raised alarms earlier this month regarding a surge in GBV cases, with 526 cases reported in early 2025, 367 of which were sexual violence against minors.
A report covering 2020–2022 identified 1,275 SGBV cases in Mombasa, with domestic violence being most rampant (710 cases), followed by 158 defilement cases. Kisauni and Mvita were also identified as major hotspots.
Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), is a nonprofit making Kenyan grassroots organization that empowers urban slum residents through education, health, and economic services for girls.