Kenya records highest number of stories on GBV than Uganda, Tanzania – Report

Kenya recorded the highest number of media stories on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and femicide within a 16-month period between January 2024 and April 2025, a new regional study has revealed.

According to the report titled Media Framing of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in East Africa, Kenya accounted for 54 per cent of the total stories analysed, followed by Tanzania at 28 per cent and Uganda at 18 per cent.

The study, which examined how media in the three countries framed issues of SGBV and femicide, used a mixed-methods approach combining content analysis and qualitative interviews with journalists, editors, and gender advocates.

It found that coverage across the region was “robust yet uneven,” with Kenyan media leading largely due to institutional support and the establishment of gender desks in newsrooms such as the Nation Media Group.

Coverage trends also showed that reporting on gender-based violence spiked during advocacy-driven events such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, suggesting that much of the attention remains event-driven rather than continuous.

The report noted that thematic framing dominated regional coverage at 78 per cent, with most stories positioning SGBV and femicide within broader social and policy contexts. However, digital-native platforms in Kenya displayed a growing tendency toward episodic, event-based reporting.

Victims were overwhelmingly portrayed through sympathetic framing (90 per cent), marking a shift toward survivor-centred journalism. However, only 6 per cent of the stories explicitly framed perpetrators as responsible, a gap the report warns risks “depoliticising gender violence by overemphasising victims’ suffering at the expense of systemic failures and justice outcomes.”

“The attribution of responsibility (99%), criminal justice (79%), and activism and policy (61%) were the most prevalent frames, reflecting an encouraging focus on accountability,” the report states.

While Kenya led in sustained follow-up coverage at 58 per cent, most of these stories continued to focus on victims, with only 8 per cent tracking perpetrators or justice outcomes. Uganda’s coverage showed notable improvement in 2025 following gender-sensitive journalism training, while Tanzania’s fluctuating trends reflected editorial and structural differences.

Across the three countries, government officials dominated as main actors in coverage (21 per cent), followed by victims (20 per cent), with perpetrators featuring in only 3 per cent of stories. This, the report says, “mutes accountability and reinforces impunity.”

The study concludes that while East African media are increasingly adopting thematic and socially engaged coverage, they still struggle with sustaining intersectional analysis, perpetrator accountability, and advocacy-driven framing.

It recommends that media houses institutionalise gender desks, strengthen follow-up reporting on justice outcomes, and adopt survivor-centred and intersectional approaches in journalism training to enhance accountability and systemic reform.