Passaris: Women must have a seat at security decision-making table
By Emmanuel Rono, June 5, 2026Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has challenged the composition of a Kenyan security delegation led by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, currently on an official engagement in London.
In an X statement on Thursday, June 4, 2026, Passaris urged the delegation to use the visit to learn best practices that could help Kenya strengthen its emergency response systems, particularly in handling gender-based violence (GBV), domestic abuse, child protection, and disaster management.
She expressed concern over the composition of the delegation, noting that it consisted entirely of men despite the country’s growing concern over sexual and gender-based violence and femicide.
“At a time when Kenya is grappling with rising cases of SGBV and femicide, it is difficult to understand why there is not a single woman in a delegation discussing policing, safety, victim protection, and emergency response,” she said.
Rapid response intervention
She said Kenya should move beyond traditional policing and focus on developing coordinated emergency response mechanisms that prioritise victims and ensure rapid intervention.
“One of our greatest challenges in Kenya is not necessarily the absence of laws but the absence of a coordinated emergency response system. Too often, victims of GBV, rape, domestic violence, child abuse, or other emergencies are pushed from one number to another, one office to another, and one agency to another, where time is of the essence,” Passaris said.
She challenged the team to study how London receives, records, and analyses emergency calls in real time and how authorities use data to identify crime patterns, track repeat offenders, and protect vulnerable groups.
“How does London capture emergency data in real time? How are patterns identified? How are repeat offenders tracked? How are vulnerable women and children protected? How are victims supported from the moment they make the first call? How are agencies coordinated to ensure rapid response?” she posed.
Passaris also called on the delegation to examine urban disaster management systems, particularly fire response mechanisms in densely populated areas, saying such lessons could help Kenya improve preparedness and response to emergencies.