Farida Changawa, a 17-year-old femicide victim, was buried on Saturday in an emotional send-off in Central Mavueni, Kilifi county.
The fourth born in a family of six children, the Form 2 student at Ng’ombeni Secondary was stabbed to death by her alleged boyfriend on June 6.
According to the family, Changawa had made supper and at around 8pm, her supposed boyfriend called her outside the kitchen.
The boyfriend had been hired at the homestead as a palm wine tapper six months earlier.
They spoke for about an hour, after which Changawa rushed back, knife in neck and bleeding profusely, before she collapsed before her family.
Changawa’s father, Julius Kalume, was said to be too sick to attend the burial, while the mother, Mary Mlongo, was too distraught to speak.
The family, represented by the victim’s uncle, demanded justice for their daughter, whom they eulogised as a cheerful girl who loved people and always avoided conflict.
Even at her young age, Changawa had already started providing for her family, they said, adding that her star was bright.
The International Justice Mission described Changawa – also a defilement survivor – as a young woman full of life, with dreams, laughter and courage that defied the odds.
“She was a survivor of injustice, violence and of a system that too often fails to protect the most vulnerable. And yet she stood strong. She sought justice not just for herself, but for every girl who has been silenced, every child who has been hurt and every woman who has been told to endure,” IJM Kenya country director Vincent Chahale said during the burial.
Chahale said her death is a wound that cuts deep not only for her family, but for everybody who believes in dignity, safety and justice for all.
Changawa died because of “a culture that excuses violence, a system that delays justice and a society that too often turns its back on survivors”.
The director said the organisation will stand with the family, promising that her death will not be in vain.
“We must not allow her story to be twisted or forgotten. We must speak her name with honour and with purpose,” Chahale said.
He said the government must act now and provide change for faster justice and more protection for women and girls.
There must also be more accountability from leaders and the justice system, not just in words but also in action.
“Changawa’s life mattered. Her voice mattered. And though she is no longer with us in body, her voice calls us to rise – to protect, to speak out and to never accept silence in the face of violence,” Chahale said.
IJM will pursue justice for Changawa and ensure the perpetrator of her death is brought to book.
“We believe justice for Changawa is justice for many other women and girls who face persistent cycles of violence but bravely fight, sometimes with their lives,” Chahale said.
The perpetrator was arrested two days after the act and was presented before court on Monday.
He remains in custody after police were granted 10 days to complete investigations.
IJM Mombasa manager, Aggrey Juma, called on the justice system to ensure the case is expedited to its logical conclusion.
Juma said so far, 150 women have been reported victims of femicide in the country.
“More than 150 women have been killed. This is not a small number and it is being taken as normal because we do not see any substantive action has been taken to arrest the situation.”
Juma said women in Kenya have not been adequately protected by the government.
“It is our duty as a society to ensure we protect our mothers and daughters.”
