Kenya is set to tighten its legal framework on sexual offences through sweeping reforms that will criminalise the misuse of artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit deepfakes, outlaw secret recordings of private acts, and strengthen protection for victims of digital sexual exploitation.
The proposed changes are contained in the draft Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which has been validated by the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) Committee on the Review of Sexual Offences ahead of its submission to the full NCAJ on July 28 for final approval.
The reforms are intended to modernise Kenya’s sexual offences laws in response to rapidly evolving technology and emerging forms of online abuse that have exposed gaps in the current legal framework.
Among the most significant proposals is the criminalisation of voyeurism, making it an offence to record or capture images of an individual’s private acts without their knowledge or consent. The Bill also seeks to outlaw the use of artificial intelligence to generate or manipulate sexually explicit images or videos of people without their consent, targeting the growing threat posed by AI-generated deepfakes.
In addition, the legislation introduces tougher measures against the extortion of victims through the sharing or threatened release of intimate images, a form of abuse that has become increasingly prevalent on digital platforms.
The validation meeting, held on July 10, marked a key milestone in the legislative process, signalling that stakeholders have reached consensus on the proposed amendments before they are presented to the full NCAJ for consideration.
The committee includes representatives from key justice sector institutions. The Commission was represented during the validation by Assistant Director for Legal and Investigation Desire Njamwea, who serves as the committee’s Vice Chairperson.
The proposed amendments are expected to strengthen legal safeguards for survivors of sexual offences by improving access to justice and ensuring perpetrators of both physical and technology-enabled sexual crimes are held accountable.
If approved, the Bill will position Kenya among countries updating their criminal justice systems to confront emerging digital threats while reinforcing constitutional guarantees on privacy, dignity and human rights.
