In a powerful, impassioned address at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in Johannesburg, South Africa, Kenyan lawmaker Hon. Sen. Dr. Danson Mungatana, MP, MGH, PhD, took the plenary floor to issue a ringing call to action against the pervasive scourge of gender-based violence across the African continent.
Speaking during a high-level parliamentary debate on the outcome report of the 70th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) held in New York in March 2026, where the PAP Women Caucus actively participated, the Senator underscored the vital need for African member states to move beyond statutory declarations and enact holistic, enforceable measures to protect women and girls.
Senator Mungatana argued that legal frameworks, while essential, remain insufficient when implemented in isolation. He urged African nations to forge a two-pronged strategy that couples strict, deterrent punitive legislation with comprehensive civic education campaigns designed to dismantle entrenched social norms.
To illustrate the limits of legislative deterrence alone, he highlighted the sobering situation in Kenya, where despite robust criminal statutes and dedicated legal institutions, femicide rates surged alarmingly in 2025.
Citing the landmark 2025 femicide report, “She Did Not Die by Accident,” which documented 220 tragic cases of femicide that ignited nationwide protests and civil society action, Dr. Mungatana stressed that laws must be backed by relentless community outreach, public sensitisation, and systemic judicial accountability.
Broadening the scope of the debate, the Senator confronted harmful traditional practices that continue to be shielded under the guise of cultural preservation.
He firmly asserted that harmful practices such as child and forced early marriages, female genital mutilation (FGM), and domestic abuse must be explicitly condemned and systematically eradicated.
“Culture can never be an excuse for the violation of human dignity,” he emphasized, calling on parliamentary leaders across the continent to lead from the front in dismantling structural inequalities.
As the current session of the Pan-African Parliament drew to a close in Johannesburg, Senator Mungatana reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to advancing human rights, gender equity, and legislative oversight across Africa, concluding his address with a resonant prayer for unity, protection, and justice across the continent.
