Every time Branice Okanga posts her content online, she anticipates a wave of abuse. Strangers flood her comments, mocking her height and dissecting her appearance. But instead of being silenced, the Vihiga County creator has channelled this pain into a powerful new purpose.

This is the story of turning digital vitriol into a real-world shield for others. Okanga's experience is a stark reflection of a growing crisis in Kenya, where online spaces are becoming increasingly hostile for women, threatening their safety, livelihoods, and mental well-being.

Frustrated by the constant cyberbullying, Okanga and a friend founded the Vihiga Hamashisho Movement, an initiative dedicated to fighting Technology-facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TF-GBV). The movement is a direct response to the torrent of abuse she and many other Kenyan women face daily in digital spaces.

The Digital Battlefield

The threat is pervasive and growing. Digital platforms, once seen as tools for empowerment, have morphed into arenas for harassment. Women in the public eye—from politicians to journalists and creators like Okanga—are frequent targets of coordinated online attacks that often involve body-shaming and sexualized language.

The statistics paint a grim picture of the online reality for Kenyan women:

• A 2024 study found that 58% of female creators in Kenya had faced online harassment.
• Another report revealed that 64.4% of female students in Nairobi's tertiary institutions have experienced at least one form of online violence.
• The most common forms of this abuse include online defamation, cyberbullying, and non-consensual pornography.

This digital violence has severe real-world consequences, leading to anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal for survivors. Many are forced to self-censor or abandon online platforms altogether, diminishing their voices in public discourse.

From Pain to Power

Instead of retreating, Okanga is taking the fight to the grassroots. Her Vihiga Hamashisho Movement is active across all five sub-counties in Vihiga, using a hands-on approach to educate communities. They hold public barazas, visit churches and schools, and engage with youth forums to raise awareness about the dangers of TF-GBV.

"I am a victim of cyberbullying," Okanga stated, explaining that the hurtful comments about her physical appearance became the catalyst for her activism. Her work directly confronts a culture of online impunity, where perpetrators are fueled by perceived anonymity and deeply ingrained misogynistic norms.

Okanga's initiative provides a crucial, localised response to a national problem. While laws like the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act exist, critics note that enforcement is often weak, leaving many survivors without adequate protection or legal options.

By transforming her personal struggle into a public campaign, Branice Okanga is not just reclaiming her own narrative—she is building a frontline defence for countless others navigating the treacherous digital world.