Hope for victims: GBV directive to help Rose Nduta find closure on daughter’s murder
Rose Nduta, the mother of Purity Wangechi, who was allegedly killed by her boyfriend in May 2021. Chief Justice Martha Koome now wants Gender Justice Courts to conclude gender-based violence cases within a year of registration.
What you need to know:
Following CJ Koome's directive, Gender Justice Courts aim to expedite gender-based violence cases.
Delays, witness disappearances, and trauma have been hindering justice for victims like Rose Nduta’s daughter.
Despite judicial reforms, the slow justice system leaves victims and families suffering, with unresolved femicide and sexual violence cases dragging on for years.
A grieving mother’s pain is like a fire that no substance can extinguish. It burns in ways that words cannot describe. This is the case for Rose Nduta, the mother of Purity Wangeci Karinga, who was just three months shy of her 20th birthday when she was killed.
Her daughter was a victim of femicide, an extreme outcome of domestic violence. According to court documents filed at the High Court in Kiambu, her boyfriend, the main accused, along with three others, is charged with murdering Rose’s daughter on Buriria Estate in Kiambu East on May 13, 2022. It has been nearly three years since the trial began, and Rose is struggling to endure the lengthy process.
“Every time I go to court, I come back sick,” the weary mother shared on Wednesday. “The case should have been concluded by now. I need closure; my daughter deserves justice.”
Travelling from Meru to Kiambu to face the suspects in court reopens wounds that she is desperately trying to heal. “I’m on medication because I cannot sleep well. My body aches from the grief of losing my child. It’s too much to bear. Talking about my daughter’s murder is incredibly painful,” she said, politely asking to be excused from discussing the matter further, her anguish evident.
Perhaps there is hope in Chief Justice Martha Koome’s recent directive to Gender Justice Courts that gender-based violence cases should be expedited and concluded within one year of registration. The Judiciary recently renamed the Specialised Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Courts to Gender Justice Courts because of public misconceptions. Many perceived them as korti za ngono (courts of sex), subjecting survivors seeking justice to stigma and re-traumatisation.
Chief Justice Martha Koome. She wants SGBV cases to be concluded within a year.
In 2022/23, the Judiciary established Gender Justice Courts in priority hotspot counties, including Nairobi (Kibra and Makadara), Meru, Nakuru, Kiambu, Machakos, Mombasa, Kisii, Trans Nzoia, Kakamega, Siaya, and Kisumu. Gender Justice Registries were also set up in Meru, Nakuru, Kiambu, Machakos, Kisii, Kitale, and Kakamega law courts.
Statistics from the SGBV Strategy (2023-2030) paint a grim picture of the situation in Kenya. In 2020/2021, Nairobi recorded the highest number of SGBV cases, accounting for 6.3 per cent of the 28,146 cases filed nationally. The Makadara Station alone handled over 70 per cent of this caseload.
Of the 8,071 defilement cases filed, only 4,474 had been resolved. For rape cases, 647 out of 1,029 were concluded, highlighting the slow progress in justice delivery, with cases dragging on for years.
While CJ Koome’s directive in the February 7, 2025 Gazette Notice signals a commitment to swift resolution of cases, several challenges could still derail trials. These include the sudden disappearance of victims, who are key witnesses, and their psychological distress, which may render them unable to testify.
“It is frustrating to proceed with a rape or defilement case when a suspect goes into hiding or when the perpetrator entices the survivor with gifts and promises of marriage once she turns 18. This often leads to a lack of witnesses in court,” noted Samuel Ayora, an advocate of the High Court, in an earlier interview.
Currently, courts prioritise SGBV cases involving children, aiming to conclude them within six months. However, delays occur when victims are not ready to testify. “We endeavour to resolve defilement cases within six months,” said Kilifi Law Courts Principal Magistrate Ivy Wasike, in an earlier interview.
She explained that child testimony is ideally facilitated within two weeks of the plea. However, extensions are granted if the child remains traumatised and in need of counselling. “If a child has undergone counselling but still shows signs of distress before testifying, we mandate additional sessions while monitoring their progress. As a magistrate, you can tell when a child is troubled.”
CJ Koome has provided alternatives to protect survivors and prevent re-traumatisation. At the court’s discretion, a victim may testify through an intermediary, pre-record their evidence, or use video conferencing. For now, and going forward, all that parents, like Rose, want is closure to avoid reopening wounds that are too painful to heal.