Kenya’s private sector loses about Sh95.5billion annually due to gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH), a survey by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has said.
The loss is attributable to absenteeism or presenteeism, where workers are physically at work but may not be able to fully perform their duties and are more likely to make mistakes on the job.
“Across Kenya’s private sector, the total annual cost of GBVH is estimated at: Sh95.5 billion ($0.71 billion) — equivalent to approximately 1 percent of GDP… This includes: Sh67 billion in productivity losses and Sh28.5 billion in direct HR-related costs,” the IFC said.
“These losses manifest through absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover, decreased morale, and rising environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and legal compliance risks,” it added.
The agency said that Kenya’s private sector employees facing GBVH lose up to Sh92,185 and 24.3 days per annum compared to those who remain silent.
“Employees who experienced GBVH lost an average of 24.3 working days annually, valued at Sh92,185 ($683.76 at the time of the survey) per employee,” said IFC.
“The costing analysis shows that GBVH is associated with substantial productivity losses and financial costs at both firm and economy-wide levels,” it added.
At least a third of the respondents, who included a total of 3,523 employees from 26 companies, participated in the IFC study, cited experiencing one or more forms of GBVH, and 53.6 percent observed it at work.
The most reported forms were verbal harassment (19 percent) and threats to job security (17 percent).
The IFC notes that 35 percent of respondents said they were perpetrators of gender-based violence against employees at work due to an enabling culture.
“[Some] 35 percent of respondents acknowledged engaging in behaviour constituting GBVH— highlighting its cultural normalisation in workplaces.”
Women, junior and support staff, employees on short-term contracts, and those working in construction and financial services faced the highest vulnerability, with over half (57 percent) of the cases involving persons in authority.
More than eight in ten (86 percent) cases were unreported due to fear of retaliation, stigma, and lack of trust in reporting pathways.
The IFC lists GBVH forms as technology-facilitated, sexual, workplace violence, bullying, intimate partner, and physical violence, among others.
The United Nations says the main drivers of GBV include harmful gender stereotypes and patriarchal norms that view women and girls as inferior or as property, although it can affect anyone, including men, boys, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
