Kenya dispatch: wave of murders and rapes of Kenyan women prompts protests Dispatches
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Kenya dispatch: wave of murders and rapes of Kenyan women prompts protests

Starlet Wahu (26 years), Rita Waeni (20 years), Harriet Moraa (age unknown), Nelvine Museti (28years), Stella Adongo (21 years), Grace Wangari (24 years), Bridget Ochieng (age unknown), Malkia (25 years), Rachael Wambui Njoroge (55 years), Sarah Wairuri (47 years), Sarah (45 years), Maureen Achieng (age unknown), Assumpta Wanjiru Murunga (30 years) and three Jane Does,  one of which is yet to be identified while another was a young girl who was 20 years old. These 16 Kenyan girls and women – 16 voices, 16 human beings – had their lives tragically cut short, all within the month of January.

These were women who had dreams and had families and yet all of it was brought to a tragic end with their families left to pick up the pieces. Some of these victims were not only raped but also dismembered and yet shockingly enough all the top government officials and even the church have remained silent. The president himself has not even once commented on it. In fact, to the dismay and horror of many women, a good number of the population is putting the blame on women for their deaths. Since the issue of femicide became a topic of interest this year, many people especially amongst the male population are claiming that the only reason women are being killed is due to their promiscuous lifestyle. This is owing to the fact that some of the victims were murdered by their financial benefactors. As a consequence, the prevalent viewpoint, supported by a substantial portion of the population and even some women Representatives, is that women should refrain from pursuing quick and easy money. Our leaders, the people meant to be our voices, are not talking about the 20-year-old girl who went missing after being sent to buy some sugar for her family and her lifeless defiled body was found 2 weeks later dumped in Kinale forest, Kiambu. Our leaders are not addressing the fact that women no longer feel safe due to these incidents. Little has been done to even ensure the protection of women as many believe that 90% of the safety burden lies with the women; after all, there is only so much that the government can do.

 

According to a survey done by Africa Data Hub, there have been approximately 500 femicide cases in Kenya between January 2016 and December 2023.  75% of the femicide cases occurred at home at the hands of spouses, intimate partners and other close relatives or friends. Especially in 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown, issues of couples falling out of love led to a steady increase of domestic abuse cases as well as divorces. The strain in relationships during that period led to the death of approximately 60 women. The survey also showed that only 15% of the time were women killed by complete strangers as opposed to the current narrative that is being pushed that women are only being killed due to their promiscuous relationships with strange men.

Due to the issue being neglected by the government, many women came out to the streets of major towns such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret to march against femicide on 27th January. Women from all walks of life as well as even some men could be seen participating in the march to ensure the voices of all women were not only heard but respected, and it is due to their bravery that the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mohamed Amin, finally put together a task force to probe the femicide cases. Moreover, the Kenya Women Against Femicide were also able to meet with the Nairobi City County Assembly Speaker Ken Ngondi and present a petition to be tabled at the County Assembly session with a stop-killing-women agenda on 1st February. The acts of the DCI Boss and the Nairobi City County Assembly Speaker are of course welcome, but one has to wonder for positive change to actually happen in the country or for one to actually be heard, does one have to protest in the streets? To be honest, ever since the killings started at the beginning of the year, numerous Kenyan women have been sensing a lack of empowerment. Can you really fault them? When they turn to online platforms like Twitter, women often find themselves unfairly blamed. Additionally, even in their homes, women are being held responsible by those they expect support from.

The current state of affairs is undeniably frustrating, as those with the authority to make a real impact are doing very little. Additionally, many women are uneasy, realizing that the bodies found so far likely represent only a small portion of the true extent thus further highlighting the urgent need for more prompt actions as well as comprehensive approaches to address the deeper issues at hand. Moreover, it’s disheartening to see many people not truly caring much about the issue. Many Kenyans seem to think it’s not their concern unless it involves someone they know personally. It is due to this lack of concern that many find it easy to place the blame on the victims rather than accept that society is to blame for things escalating to such an extent. This mentality makes it easy for people to forget that all these women were daughters, sisters, mothers and even friends of people. This lack of genuine care adds to the overall sense of sadness in the situation.

Opinions expressed in JURIST Dispatches are solely those of our correspondents in the field and do not necessarily reflect the views of JURIST's editors, staff, donors or the University of Pittsburgh.
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