Voices from Remote Villages in Kenya: Access to Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls

Written on 20 April 2026. Posted in News

By Jane Meriwas for Indigenous Debates

Indigenous women in Kenya endure multiple forms of gender-based violence — from brutal female genital mutilation to child marriage and forced beadwork. Reporting abuse is further complicated by geography: the nearest police station may be 120 kilometers away, with no transport and no guarantee of being heard. To confront this reality, the Samburu Women Trust (SWT) established a center to support women in seeking justice. For the first time, women and girls living in remote villages can report cases, document violations, and produce evidence without traveling for days.

Across Kenya’s vast arid and semi-arid lands –often forgotten by policy, infrastructure, and justice systems– Indigenous women and girls endure some of the most severe and persistent forms of gender-based violence. Female genital mutilation (FGM), child and forced marriage, sexual violence, forced beading, domestic abuse, and cultural sanctions continue to shape their daily realities. And yet, despite the scale and brutality of these violations, access to justice remains painfully out of reach.

For Indigenous Samburu, Borana, Rendille, Ogiek, Turkana, Elmolo, Pokot, and Sengwer women –many living hundreds of kilometers from courts, police posts, or health facilities– justice is rarely found in formal institutions. Instead, it is often negotiated under a tree, where elders prioritize clan harmony over a survivor’s dignity, healing, or rights. In these informal systems, women’s testimonies are minimized, violence is normalized, and perpetrators walk free. For Indigenous women and girls, silence is not a choice: it is enforced.

When Violence Meets Silence

In many pastoralist communities, survivors of rape or sexual abuse are still forced into so-called “compensation marriages”, where a girl is handed to the perpetrator’s family as settlement. Others are pressured to withdraw cases in the name of family honor or clan unity. Reporting violence is further complicated by geography: the nearest police station may be 70 to 120 kilometers away, with no transport, no fuel, and no guarantee of being heard. At times, local authorities intervene to suppress reporting, arguing that formal justice “destroys families”. What is destroyed instead is trust, safety, and the futures of girls.

To confront this reality, the Samburu Women Trust (SWT) established a Women’s Digital Centre, a modest but transformative space equipped with computers, internet access, phones, and documentation tools. For the first time in their lives, women and girls in remote villages can report cases promptly, document violations, and produce evidence required by the justice system without travelling for days. The center has become a lifeline for survivors trapped in cycles of violence.

SWT also created the Naramat Indigenous Women Arboretum, a sacred healing space rooted in land, culture, and collective care. Under the shade of indigenous trees, women gather for trauma healing, reflection, and solidarity. Here, stories once whispered in fear are spoken aloud with courage and the support of other women who have suffered similar experiences.

Still, the path to justice remains long and fragile. Survivors often walk for days through harsh terrain, carrying trauma and facing intimidation from perpetrators’ families. By the time they reach a police post, evidence may be compromised, files may disappear, and cases collapse. It is important to note that these are not isolated stories: they are the daily realities of Indigenous women across Kenya.

Bringing Justice Closer to the Villages

For over a decade, the Samburu Women Trust and the Indigenous Women Council (IWC) have walked alongside women and girls, crossing dry riverbeds, hills, and dusty roads, to close a justice gap that continues to widen. Our work is not only about awareness; it is about transforming power, restoring confidence in institutions, and ensuring women can speak without fear. Our approach is grounded in five interconnected pillars:

1. Community Legal Empowerment. We train Indigenous women paralegals who accompany survivors through every step of the justice process: reporting cases, understanding their rights, gathering evidence, and navigating police and court systems. As trusted daughters of their communities, these paralegals make justice more accessible and culturally grounded.

2. Challenging Harmful Elders’ Justice Systems. We engage male elders in order to confront mediation practices that treat rape or sexual abuse as negotiable family matters resolved through the transfer of livestock. Through sustained dialogue and training, more elders are now referring criminal cases to the formal authorities.

3. Safe Spaces for Girls. Under acacia trees and in village circles, SWT organizes girls’ leadership forums where girls learn about bodily autonomy, self-confidence, and their right to say no to female genital mutilation and forced marriage. These spaces nurture informed and courageous girls who know their rights.

4. Survivor-Centered Response. We collaborate with health facilities, police, local chiefs, and gender desks to ensure survivors receive medical care, psychosocial support, and legal follow-up. Our team accompanies girls from filing police statements to standing before magistrates, advocating for timely and child-sensitive justice.

5. National and Global Advocacy. Through the Indigenous Women Council, we elevate village realities to national, regional, and international platforms, advocating for gender-responsive justice systems, mobile courts, accountable policing, and recognition of Indigenous land and resource rights that shape women’s safety.

The Long Journey toward Justice

A mother from Narasha village told us sadly, “My daughter’s justice is 75 kilometers away.”Her words capture a painful truth: justice is shaped by geography, poverty, gender, power, and survival. Through sustained community engagement and survivor accompaniment, Samburu Women Trust has reopened stalled investigations, prevented forced marriages, supported girls through trials, and secured convictions in cases once silenced. Each case sets a precedent. Each voice breaks the silence for many others.

Change is emerging. Elders are increasingly referring cases to the police. Girls are refusing female genital mutilation and reporting threats. Women are organizing and demanding accountability. Chiefs and police officers are becoming more responsive as awareness grows. But the journey is far from over. Access to justice for Indigenous women and girls requires investment in mobile courts, functioning police posts, safe shelters, and culturally responsive, gender-sensitive services. Community actors, paralegals, women leaders, and traditional authorities must be recognized as equal partners.

Most importantly, Indigenous women and girls must remain at the center of all solutions. They are not only survivors; they are leaders, advocates, and architects of a more just future. For us at Samburu Women Trust and Indigenous Women Council, this work is more than advocacy – it is a lifelong commitment. We carry their stories. We push their cases. We stand with those who survive. And, in the territories, we walk long distances so that justice can finally reach the last woman in the last village.

Jane Meriwas is a mother, Indigenous feminist, and women’s rights champion. She is the Executive Director of the Samburu Women Trust (SWT) and Convener of the Indigenous Women Council (IWC). In 2023, she was awarded the prestigious Head of State Commendation (HSC) in recognition of her two decades of advancing the rights and well-being of women.

Cover photo: Women in Kenya receive training to access justice. Photo: Samburu Women Trust

Tags: Indigenous Debates