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Lecturer at Conference of African Women Theologians Urges “paradigm shift in university leadership” to Address GBV

Suki Wanza Nyadawa. Credit: ACI Africa
Silas Isenjia

By Silas Isenjia

Nairobi, 07 September, 2025 / 4:44 pm (ACI Africa).

There is need for “a paradigm shift” in the leadership of universities if the vice of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the institutions of higher learning across Africa is to be addressed, a Kenyan lecturer has said.

In her presentation at the second African Women Theologian Conferece, Suki Wanza Nyadawa said that over 40 percent of students in Kenya’s public universities, majority of them women, experience some form of violence.

“Cases of university lecturers asking for sexual favours in exchange for grades are real. This goes for both males and females. SGBV, or sexual and gender-based violence, remains a prevalent crisis in Kenya, and in reality, the whole world,” Ms. Wanza said on September 3.

As a way forward, the lecturer at the Kenya College of Accountancy University (KCAU) said, “There is a need for a paradigm shift in university leadership to improve how the institutions deal with SGBV cases, from passive compliance to proactive, so that they can provide ethical stewardship, dismantle structural violence, and create safer, equitable academic spaces.”

Attributing the persistent SGBV cases to systemic governance failure and “a culture of impunity by all,” Ms. Wanza said, “Oversight bodies within the institutions must be strengthened and supported in dealing with SGBV cases.”

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“We might put in place policies or practices that are supposed to hinder the persistence of sexual and gender-based violence, but leadership and governance are very, very important,” she said during her presentation at Hekima University College (HUC) in Nairobi.

She lamented that persistent SGBV in learning institutions has “developed to appear like part of academic culture”, thus often driving women and men, especially those in vulnerable situations, to be affected by other inequalities like sexual orientation, disability, marginalized backgrounds, age, and sexism in the workplace, among others.

“SGBV persists despite existing policies, often due to weak enforcement, poor leadership commitment, and systemic governance failures,” she said, and added, “Structural issues like patriarchal attitudes, colonial legacies, and male-dominated leadership continue to undermine institutional accountability.”

Convened by HUC in partnership with Watawa wa Taa (Consecrated Women of Light), the September 2-6 conference aimed to create a platform for the voices of African women theologians to be heard in global theological and ecclesial discourse.

It was also a way to strengthen and channel the intellectual abilities, leadership, and contributions of African women Religious towards the growth of the Church in Africa and beyond, according to the conveners who wished to create a network of African women scholars committed to the mission of the Church in Africa and beyond.

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In her September 3 presentation, Ms. Wanza touched on some of the hindrances in handling SGBV issues in institutions of higher learning, including the lack of representative data on SGBV cases in universities.

With such data gap, she said, “institutions then cannot set aside funds to properly address issues surrounding SGBV.”

Another challenge is what she described as piecemeal support for offices and lecturers dealing with SGBV within the institutions of higher learning.

Most universities and colleges have a passive compliance to address SGBV cases, she said, and added, “This discourages victims from coming out and speaking about their ordeals.  

Identification of institutional heads to champion and enforce anti-GBV measures yields better results in institutions of higher learning, she further said, adding that institutionalizing research-to-policy pipelines is promising, but it requires stable, committed leadership and transparent governance

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For Ms. Wanza, preventing SGBV in universities requires a holistic approach involving community engagement, education, and policy enforcement.

Ms. Wanza said that the policies on SGBV must be implemented to also address sexual violence in institutions of higher learning.

“We need to implement policies. The policies are there, but are they being implemented?” she posed, and appealed, “Institutions of higher learning need to implement policies that have been put in place to address SGBV.”

She also advocated for safe learning environments in view of protecting “students from all forms of gender-based violence. They need to foster a culture of respect, accountability, and zero tolerance for violence.”

Ms. Wanza also urged institutions of higher learning to collaborate with organizations that offer GBV prevention services to strengthen response efforts in dealing with cases of gender-based violence.

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She further called for the “training of faculty, administration, and students on gender sensitivity and survivor-centred approaches in regard to SGBV.”

Silas Isenjia

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.