DAY 3-16 DAYS OF ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST GBV: ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN KENYAN SPORTS.
A Joint Article by Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK) and Zizi Afrique Foundation.
On Day 3 of the 16 Days of Activism, we focus on ending violence against women in sports. Today, we shine a light on the systemic challenges facing Kenyan female athletes. Women and girls in sport often face multiple, overlapping forms of abuse, ranging from physical, institutional, emotional, and psychological. These abuses intersect, creating compounded harm, with power imbalance at the core of their experiences. Supporting our sportswomen is an investment in national development and in the educational and life outcomes of girls and young women. The journey to the podium is rarely just about training; it is a marathon against deep-rooted gender inequities that demand urgent reform.
Kenyan female athletes, who bring immense pride to our nation, often navigate unsafe environments. The tragic femicides of Agnes Tirop and Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegei exposed the failure of sports structures to protect women. Beyond these tragedies, reports highlight sexual exploitation, emotional manipulation, and financial abuse by coaches and official figures who hold disproportionate power over athletes’ careers. Risks are further compounded during team travel and accommodation, where male officials often manage female athletes. Male officials often manage female athletes in inadequate, uncertain conditions. Pursuing a career in sports should not mean navigating constant possible danger. Additionally, power is central to women’s experiences of violence in sport. While women may often resist, the ultimate control often remains with men and sports institutions that are complicit in or actively perpetuate violence.
Despite constitutional guarantees of non-discrimination, female athletes face disparities in pay, sponsorship, and career opportunities compared to men. This gender pay gap undermines their ability to sustain professional careers. Equally damaging is the burden of unpaid care work. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows women spend significantly more time on domestic chores than men. For athletes, this “time poverty” erodes recovery, training, and professional development, limiting their longevity and success.
Mental health remains one of the most neglected aspects of Kenyan sports. Female athletes endure sexualization, objectification, and body shaming, judged more for appearance than achievement. Those who build muscular physiques for elite performance are often labeled “unfeminine,” while poor performance invites online bullying. Yet, structured psychological support is absent or limited in most sports federations. Treating mental health as optional rather than essential undermines both performance and well-being.
Sports participation is directly linked to improved academic outcomes, higher school completion rates, and stronger life skills such as discipline, teamwork, and resilience. These align with Zizi Afrique’s Whole Youth Development framework. Unfortunately, cultural norms discourage girls from competitive sports, steering them toward domestic roles from an early age. Gendered toys, chores, and expectations reinforce stereotypes that limit girls’ opportunities before they even step onto the field. The barriers extend further: women referees struggle to assert authority in male-dominated football, female commentators remain underrepresented worldwide, and safety concerns persist around protective gear and injury management for women athletes. These issues illustrate the breadth of inequities that demand systemic change.
To dismantle these barriers, WERK and Zizi Afrique Foundation propose a holistic approach forward. First, given the diversity of gender-based violence experienced by women and girls in sport, it is essential that their lived experiences remain central to the development of any policy or practice. Without prioritizing these voices, initiatives risk overlooking the realities of abuse and exclusion that women face daily. Policies must also grapple with the deep power imbalances that exist across the various levels. These imbalances shape not only individual encounters with violence but also institutional responses, which can perpetuate harm if left unaddressed.
We must eliminate gender stereotypes from Early Childhood Development curricula to ensure equitable play and participation from the start. Safeguarding and SGBV awareness training should be mandatory in all coaching and sports administration certification programs. Equal pay and stipends for male and female national teams must be mandated and enforced. Policies should be instituted to recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care responsibilities, enabling women athletes to thrive. Structured psychological services must be established within sports federations to protect athletes’ mental well-being, and safe travel, accommodation, and protective gear must be guaranteed for female athletes across all levels of competition.
Lastly, there is a need to conduct rigorous research to quantify economic disparities and the opportunity cost of unpaid care work for female athletes. Further, there is a need for research to explore women’s experiences of gender-based violence in sport that utilizes appropriate methodologies and describes them clearly in published work. This will not only strengthen confidence in the findings but will also ensure that the evidence base guiding policy and practice is credible, trustworthy, and responsive to the realities of women and girls in sport
The potential of Kenyan sportswomen is boundless. By tackling violence, inequity, and neglect, we can create a safer, more equitable sporting environment, one that empowers women and girls to excel both on the field and in life. Ending violence against women in sports is about building a stronger, fairer Kenya.
Mr. Walter Mounde – GEDSI Specialist – Women Educational Researchers of Kenya.
By Dr Mary Chepkemoi – Manager – Gender – Zizi Afrique Foundation
