On 27 January thousands of Kenyans took to the streets to protest rates of femicide (murder of women or girls due to their gender) in the country. This protest was sparked by the murders of Rita Waeni, a twenty-year-old student, and Starlet Wahu, an Instagram influencer, earlier in the month. Both women were allegedly killed by intimate partners and their murders were the third and fourth gender-based killings in the month with the Kenyan news reporting at least two more murders subsequently. Female protesters thus took to the street with signs stating, “Being a Woman Should Not be a Death Sentence”, “Say Their Names”, and “Stop Killing Us!”; demanding change.
These demands come as the rates of femicide are growing. While the Kenyan government does not compile data on femicides, it has been estimated by Africa Uncensored and Africa Data Hub, two investigative journalism/data collection organizations, that roughly five hundred women were the victims of femicide between 2017 and 2024. Despite these numbers, Kenya is not without any infrastructure to combat gender-based violence. Kenya is a party to the United Nations Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; additionally, it has enacted legislation which criminalizes gender-based violence and the implementation of a specialized gender desk as a part of the Kenyan Police. However, these measures have done little to cap the rate of gender-based violence. Shyleen Bonareri Momanyi, director of the Young Women’s Leadership Institute (an organization designed to promote feminism and women in leadership positions), told the news channel Al Jazeera that, “The justice system remains sluggish and ineffective in prosecuting the perpetrators and corruption continues to cause gaps in the implementation of these ambitious laws”. For this reason, the protesters want a government response, but thus far the only statement provided has been by President William Ruto's Women's Rights Advisor, Harriet Chiggai. In a press conference Chiggai, offered assurances that the perpetrators of gender-based violence would be brought to justice, but the only semi-concrete action presented was her commitment to pushing for harsher punishment for the perpetrators through new legislation. While many of the protesters have demanded harsher punishments, some even demanding the death penalty, the statement provided does little else to indicate that any of the demands have been heard. In a media release, the Young Women’s Leadership Institute laid out what it sees as the necessary path forward. Along with calling for the implementation of the death penalty for femicide it also called for the government to begin data collection on femicides and to create a specific offense of femicide (like has been done in Latin America, where femicide has been a long-standing and pervasive problem). Additionally, it calls for the implementation and funding of greater police training, community engagement victim support services, and awareness training. While there is no unified list of demands that protestors have presented the lack of response beyond a vague promise of larger penalties does little to indicate any fast-coming governmental plans for change.
According to a 2022 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UN Women report fifty-five percent of intimate partner homicides are femicides. While this is a global statistic and not specific to Kenya it is indicative that this problem is not going away. Without a concerted effort from both the Kenyan government and society, any progress will be small and extremely hard fought.
Click here for the Press Conference from the Women’s Rights Advisor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMDAyQU8oQ0
Click here for the Media Release from the Young Women’s Leadership Institute https://ywlikenya.org/2024/01/22/young-feminists-human-rights-defenders-and-queer-movements-in-kenya-statement-on-femicide-15th-january-2024/
Click here for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UN Women report 2022 https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/gender-related-killings-of-women-and-girls-femicide-feminicide-global-estimates-2022-en.pdf