Kenyans have been called upon to join thousands of women's human rights groups for a peaceful protest against the rising cases of femicide.
The peaceful demonstrations will be across the streets of major towns including Kisumu, Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Turkana, Vihiga, Nakuru, Kisii, Machakos, Nyeri, Kwale and Busia.
In a statement, Defenders Coalition Executive Director Kamau Ngugi said the planned peaceful protest is a loud statement to call on the authorities to act to protect women from the killings and violence expeditiously.
He added that it is also a way to condemn the public silence and distasteful comments on social media that blame the victims.
"The right to life is sacrosanct yet in the past few days of January 2024 we have witnessed horrendous tales of how Starlet Wahu, Rita Waeni and Grace Wangari were lured into macabre murders that point to the degeneration of societal values and respect attached to the right to life," Ngigi said.
"The murders of Rita, Wacu and Wangari are certainly the latest but add to a larger pile of other murders of women in the recent past."
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicated that in 2022, 706 women were victims of femicide in Kenya.
Ngugi said that as an organization that believes in a just society that respects human rights for all, the Defenders Coalition reminds the Kenyan government of its obligations to protect human rights and the collective duty to zero-tolerance policy towards gender and sexual-based violence.
"There must be an unequivocal commitment by the highest office to protecting human life and eliminating this vice. Let us all unite as a country that believes that Women's Rights are Human Rights," he added.
"We appeal to you to join these individuals and groups to demand social change in our communities and homes and turn towards a society that upholds, respects and promotes human rights for all."
151 women's organisations in Kenya as well as 23 individuals endorsed a march against femicide.
These include Feminists, Human Rights Defenders, and People Living with Disabilities. Women survivors of Gender Based Violence, Torture and Human Trafficking and Women who work in the informal sector.
In Nairobi, the march will take place at Jeevanjee Gardens in Nairobi from 10 am and in other counties.
Africans Rising for Unity, Justice, Peace and Dignity in standing in solidarity with the women's organisations said femicide ought to end.
"We strongly condemn the rise in femicide cases in the country and we mourn with all victims of this scourge and their families," the lobby group said.
The 151 women groups and concerned individuals said they are united in the fight for gender equality, equity and justice.
"We strongly condemn the alarming rise in femicide cases plaguing our beloved nation. We stand in solidarity with all victims of femicide and their families, survivors of intimate partner violence and violence against women, as well as all aggrieved women in Kenya," they said jointly.
