KICTANet records 58 online gender-based violence cases in Kenya between July and September
KICTANet documented 58 cases of technology-facilitated gender-based violence in Kenya between July and September 2026. Women and girls were the targets in 43 cases, while harassment and gender-based hate speech were the most frequently recorded forms of abuse.
The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) documented 58 cases of online gender-based violence in Kenya between July and September 2026. Women and girls were identified as the targets in 43 cases, or 74.1% of the total.
KICTANet recorded the cases through its Online Gender-Based Violence (OGBV) tracker, which monitors publicly available social media content. It uses the term technology-facilitated gender-based violence to cover forms of abuse carried out or enabled through digital technologies, including cyber harassment, gender-based hate speech, sexual exploitation, threats, image-based abuse and surveillance.
Women were also identified as victims in 45 cases, compared with eight involving men. At the same time, men accounted for most of the accounts identified as being behind the abuse. Male account holders were recorded in 38 cases, or 65.5%, while female account holders appeared in 10.
Cyber harassment and bullying was the most common category, appearing in 29 cases, or half of the total. Gender-based hate speech followed with 26 cases. Some incidents involved more than one type of abuse.
The tracker also recorded 12 cases of online sexual exploitation, six involving digital voyeurism or cyberflashing, and four involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
X accounted for 53 of the 58 cases recorded. Instagram and Facebook each accounted for two, while TikTok accounted for one. KICTANet cautioned that this does not mean that online gender-based violence is more common on X. The figures reflect what its monitoring captured, which can be influenced by factors such as search tools, platform design, moderation practices and access to older content.
Only nine cases were marked as reported in the tracker. KICTANet cautioned that the remaining 49 cases should not be interpreted as cases where victims took no action, as the tracker may not capture reports made to platforms or other institutions.
The organisation also stressed that the data does not measure the overall prevalence of online gender-based violence in Kenya. The tracker is based on publicly available content, and gender classifications are based on the material reviewed rather than verified personal identities.
KICTANet said the quarterly data builds on its earlier research into online gender-based violence in Kenya. It plans to continue publishing quarterly reports and use the data to support discussions on policy, accountability and responses to technology-facilitated abuse.
