The County Government of Nakuru has kicked off a campaign to rally Kenyans around efforts to curb cases of violence against women.
According to Governor Susan Kihika, the alarming surge in femicide rates in Kenya demands citizen’s attention and collective action, adding that by so doing, the country will not only safeguard the lives of women, but also preserve its global standing as a nation committed to justice and equality.
Kihika stated that femicide should not be handled as a women’s issue, since it was a societal matter that called for the attention of leaders and policymakers.
The governor indicated that leaders at both the county and national levels have a responsibility to address these crises heads-on, while implementing policies and initiatives that protect women from violence.
The Governor further noted that it was also time for the country to have a conversation on the issue.
“We need to investigate the primary root cause of the violence against women. Could it be stress or mental health issues?” she posed.
While flagging off ‘Stop the femicide campaign’ procession at her office, the Governor regretted that femicide, the intentional killing of women, was a stain on Kenya’s national image.
Kihika’s advocacy themed ‘Lend your voice, break the circle’ also seeks to end domestic violence, cyber harassment, FGM, child marriages and sexual and gender-based violence.
The governor described femicide as a severe violation of human rights and that its occurrence reflects deeper issues within societies, such as misogyny, sexism, and a lack of adequate legal and social structures to protect women.
Femicide refers to the intentional killing of women or girls because they are female. It’s a gender-based crime that often involves acts of violence such as murder, torture, sexual assault, mutilation, or other forms of harm.
The Governor explained that femicide was rooted in gender inequality, discrimination, and harmful cultural norms and occurs in various contexts, including domestic violence, honour killings, human trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence.
The campaign is educating the public about the prevalence and consequences of femicide and promoting a culture that rejects violence against women and challenges harmful gender norms.
“Creating awareness against femicide is not just a matter of choice, it is a moral obligation. We are holding this campaign because from January we have witnessed a lot of cases reported in the media that focus on women who have been killed by their partners, husbands or boyfriends, and the numbers keep escalating,” said Kihika.
She continued: “Given this trend, I don’t think as a country we can go on. There are more than 20 cases we have heard of and these are the ones that have been reported; there could be more.”
Kihika pointed out that women in leadership positions hold a powerful voice in this fight against femicide, adding that they should leverage their influence to advocate for change, mentor others, and actively participate in initiatives combating violence against women.
A study conducted by the Africa Data Hub estimates that there will be around 500 femicide victims between 2016 and 2024.
Studies conducted by UN Women show that Africa recorded the highest absolute number of female intimate partner and family related killings with an estimated 20,000 victims, followed by 18,400 in Asia, 7,900 in the Americas, 2,300 in Europe and 200 in Oceania.
The campaign follows a series of gruesome murders of women. The most recent are the murders of Starlet Wahu, 26, who was brutally murdered in a short-term rental apartment, and Rita Waeni, a fourth-year university student whose dismembered body was also found in another short-term rental apartment in Nairobi.
The murders of the two women are just the tip of the iceberg of Kenya’s growing femicide problem.
Deputy Governor David Kones observed that a dangerous trend is cropping up, that of young ladies hooking up with strangers online predisposing themselves to untold harm due to overexposure to the internet.
Kones advised young persons to be wary of ‘partners’ they interact with on social media, adding that millions of innocent Kenyans live all their lives on social media and up with astonishing consequences.
The Deputy Governor noted that the Constitution of Kenya 2010 ensures that the rights of women and girls are protected under Article 27, while the Penal Code provides for penalties for violence against women and girls.
Despite this Kones regretted that perpetrators of most intimate partner violence and femicide crimes go unpunished.
He advised women to walk away from violent relationships whenever they felt unsafe.
In 2018, Sharon Otieno, a student at Rongo University, was found dead in a forest in Oyugis town, Homa Bay County.
In 2019, Ivy Wangeci, a medical student, was hacked to death by a jilted boyfriend in Eldoret.
Eunice Wangari was thrown from the balcony of a 12-storey building in Nairobi in 2020, and celebrated Olympic runner Agnes Tirop was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband in 2021. These are some of the high publicized cases of femicide in Kenya.
While describing femicide as a “national emergency” and saying that the murder of women and girls should not be normalized, County Secretary Dr. Samuel Mwaura, called for investigations into recent acts of violence against women and warned the public against shaming victims of such crimes.
“We reiterate our commitment to promoting a culture of respect, equality and safety for all individuals in Kenya, regardless of gender. We encourage the public to stand united against violence and support efforts to create a safer environment for women and girls,” Dr Mwaura said.
He called for stiffer penalties for perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence and urged the judiciary to expedite cases of intimate partner violence.
Dr. Mwaura said the Judiciary “should not be in a hurry” to grant cash bail to alleged perpetrators of such crimes.
County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Youth, Sports, Gender, and Social Services Josephine Achieng asked the Judiciary to review the issuance of cash bails and reduce the hearing time of cases of domestic violence so that victims could get speedy justice.
Achieng said women are the main victims of gender-based violence and that they need to be made aware of the steps to take when they find themselves in violent situations and expressed the need for the government to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies with resources and training to combat technology-facilitated GBV.
According to UN Women more than 245 million women and girls aged 15 and older experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner every year while 4 in 5 women and girls live in countries without robust legal protections against violence.
614 million women and girls live in conflict-affected areas and are exposed to violence. This figure has increased by 50 per cent since 2017.
The CECM called on Kenyans to advocate for and support the implementation of laws that specifically address violence against women, including femicide and ensure that legal frameworks are comprehensive, enforceable, and provide adequate protection for the victims.
“Law enforcement agencies should be well-trained to handle cases of violence against women with sensitivity and expertise. They should also ensure that perpetrators are held accountable through fair and efficient legal processes,”
She suggested that schools implement educational programmes that promote gender equality and challenge stereotypes from an early age and incorporate education on healthy relationships and consent in school curricula.
Communities, added Achieng, should be engaged in conversations about gender-based violence and femicide and encourage community leaders to take a stand against violence and be role models for positive behaviour in society.
By Anne Mwale and Veronica Ngina
