On August 5, UN Women drew attention to the dramatic decrease of women police officers in Kenya between 2018 and 2023. While 14,042 women were registered in the police services in 2018, the figure first dropped in 2021 to 13,279 – translating to 9%. As of March 2023, of the 106,830 Kenyan police officers, 7,457 were women – representing 6.9%.

Key reasons behind this decrease include the lack of support women receive in policing institutions and in broader society, unfair recruitment practices that discriminate against women, and a lack of upward mobility for women in the police services.

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