MOMBASA, Kenya — Feb 3, 2026—Search for Common Ground (SFCG) has launched an initiative aimed at curbing Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) and its links to violent extremism in Mombasa County.
The 17-month project, dubbed Catalyst, brings together multiple stakeholders to design solutions tailored to local challenges.
The initiative convened tech and legal professionals, civil society actors, media representatives, and government agencies, including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).
Participants examined Kenya’s legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks on TFGBV, identifying gaps in implementation and ways to strengthen community-level interventions.
Dominick Mwambui, Senior Communication Officer overseeing the Catalyst project, said online gender-based violence often stems from misogyny, social media interactions, online gaming, and other digital platforms.
“Past efforts mainly focused on gender-based violence broadly, leaving the online dimension under-addressed. The Catalyst project ensures both GBV and TFGBV are comprehensively tackled,” he said.
Gender-based violence, a long-standing issue in Kenya, affects thousands of women and girls annually.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, one in three women experiences physical, sexual, or emotional violence at some point in her life.
TFGBV, which includes harassment, threats, or abuse via digital platforms, has emerged as a growing threat, fueled by increased internet and social media use, and often goes unreported due to stigma or fear of exposure.
Mr Mwambui highlighted the importance of locally-driven policies to address TFGBV, noting that online violence manifests differently across counties and countries. The project emphasizes training police officers on handling GBV and TFGBV cases, engaging social media influencers as awareness champions, and conducting research in partnership with the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) to monitor trends, especially on online dating platforms.
Community awareness remains a critical challenge. Only four percent of GBV and TFGBV cases are reported, according to Mwambui. Factors such as cultural norms, lack of information on protective policies, and limited knowledge about reporting mechanisms contribute to the low reporting rates.
“There is a need for more advocacy and sensitisation at the grassroots level,” he said, urging online users to conduct themselves with dignity and respect, both to protect themselves and others.
The Catalyst project is funded by Christ Church Call and aims to strengthen existing strategies while developing practical, county-specific solutions to TFGBV in Mombasa and beyond.
The initiative is part of a growing effort to integrate technology, research, and policy to protect vulnerable communities from online and offline gender-based violence.
