• Raila added that the increase in cases of femicides is a threat to homeland security, and must come to an end
• The Federation of Women Lawyers came out to condemn the increased cases of femicide in the country as well as the blaming of the women who have been killed.
Image: RAILA ODINGA/ TWITTER
Opposition leader Raila Odinga has waded into the increased cases of femicide.
In a statement on Wednesday, Raila expressed that the abnormality of these murders cannot become the new norm.
"It is sad to see a troubling increase in the deaths of young women, leaving a trail of grief for families and friends," he said.
Raila highlighted that the ugly scourge of the murder of women is now a national emergency.
He added that the cases of femicides are a threat to homeland security, and must come to an end.
"Murder is and will always be wrong, and there is no excuse," Raila said.
The recent cases of alleged murders of women within Nairobi have drawn reactions from Kenyans on social media with civil societies calling for action.
The latest case is of an unidentified woman’s body that was found chopped and stashed in a sack in Kasarani on Sunday.
It caused an uproar on social media platforms, prompting Kenyans to call for action.
In another case on Sunday, a 25-year-old mother of three was found murdered in Kwa Ndomo, Kilifi county in a house where she reportedly lived with her lover.
The lover is said to have fled the scene and his whereabouts remain unknown.
On Tuesday, the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) came out to condemn the increased cases of femicide in the country as well as the blaming of the women who have been killed.
FIDA Kenya said they are deeply concerned by the increasing instances of Violence Against Women (VAW) and Girls particularly the recent gruesome murder of Starlet Wahu Mwangi.
Its Vice Chairperson Christine Kungu, said Socialite Wahu's death was a case of VAW in the form of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).
"Barely a week later FIDA- Kenya has learnt with shock of the murder of a woman whose body was found at an Airbnb located in Roysambu under circumstances suspected to have been IPV," she said.
FIDA said Kenyans should not partake in shaming and judging victims of intimate partner violence, especially on social media.
Kungu commended the National Police Service (NPS) for their efforts in the timely apprehension of the suspect in Wahu's murder.
Kungu however raised concern that there is a State's failure to protect women and girls from violence
She said the violence occurs in private spaces by perpetrators who are well-known to the victims.
"It is extremely saddening that in the last one year, 10 cases of femicide have been reported in the media. Many more cases remain unreported," she said.