NAIROBI, KENYA, JAN 28 – Activists took to the streets of Nairobi on Saturday in a ‘EndFemicideinKE’ protest, demanding that the government take immediate action to address the escalating femicide cases in the country.
During the demonstration, protesters expressed their frustrations and concerns over the growing number of killings and abuses directed at women in Kenya.
They called on the government, including prominent women leaders at the to like First Lady Rachel Ruto, Second Lady Dorcas Gachagua, and Gender Affairs Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa, to condemn these acts and take decisive measures to combat gender-based violence.
One protester’s placard read, “Rigathi-ress your boys are killing ladies,” making a subtle reference to the Second Lady’s initiatives aimed at empowering and protecting the boy child in Kenya.
The activists criticized the government’s silence on the issue and questioned why there had been no official statements condemning femicide. They called for swift and robust measures to curb gender violence and femicide cases and warned that they would continue protesting until their demands were met.
“Regardless of gender or age, we are tired of government institutions that are not effectively preventing and punishing femicide,” one activist stated.
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris, who attended the protest, faced backlash from demonstrators. They chanted questions like ‘Where were you?’ and ‘What did you do?’ while urging her to leave the protest.
Passaris later addressed the media, highlighting the efforts of lawmakers to enact legislation addressing femicide and related issues. She emphasized the need for President Kenyatta to address the matter personally and ensure that the state takes action to protect women.
“I have spoken to a few Cabinet Secretaries and emphasized the need for the President to address this issue. I am proud that our party leader Raila Odinga spoke about it two weeks ago. We need the President to address it; we need him to understand that the families of these brutally murdered women are traumatized and need to feel that the State is taking action,” Passaris stated.
The recent high-profile killings of socialite Starlet Wahu and Jomo Kenyatta University of Arts and Technology student Rita Waeni have sparked outrage and calls for stronger government measures to protect women from gender-based violence and femicide.
