Some of KEWOPA members and ICJ officials after the Tuesday meeting. Photo/Courtesy.
By MKT Reporter
Members of the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) have launched a fresh bid to abolish the death penalty for women, calling for alternative deterrent punishments that uphold gender justice.
The initiative comes as Kenya prepares to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, with the lawmakers urging the government to adopt the African Union’s draft Protocol on the abolition of the death penalty.
Speaking during a roundtable breakfast meeting organised by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya chapter, the Women MPs said their push is driven by their role as human rights defenders and their understanding of the unique vulnerabilities women face in the criminal justice system.
Senator Beth Syengo, who spoke on behalf of the KEWOPA chairperson, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to championing legal reforms and building gender-responsive justice systems.
“We stand ready to work with ICJ Kenya, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, development partners and fellow parliamentarians to ensure that no woman is further victimised by a system meant to protect her,” she said.
Sen. Syengo highlighted the harsh realities faced by women on death row, saying many suffer double injustices rooted in systemic gender inequities.
“When a woman is sentenced to death, she is not only punished for a crime, she is often punished again for her gender, for systemic inequities, and for the failures in structures meant to protect her,” she said.
ICJ Kenya chairperson Christine Alai noted that despite reforms, courts in Kenya still issue death sentences for crimes such as murder, robbery with violence, attempted robbery with violence and treason.
“Although the mandatory death penalty for murder was abolished in 2017 and mass commutations have reduced death row numbers, capital punishment is still being imposed,” Ms. Alai said.
She urged women lawmakers to consider the overlooked needs of women facing capital punishment, arguing that legal systems historically designed “by men, for men” fail to recognise the pathways that lead women into conflict with the law.
The MPs emphasised the need for leaders to engage directly with women prisoners, noting that many women facing capital charges are survivors of domestic violence. They argued that such circumstances must be taken into account by judges when passing sentences.
KEWOPA members insisted that Kenya’s debate on the death penalty must incorporate a gender perspective, stressing that “justice that is blind to gender is not justice at all.”
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