Family demands justice for girl, 17, killed by alleged boyfriend

FARIDA Kadzo, 17, who was killed on June 6 by a supposed boyfriend in yet another case of femicide, is evidence of systemic failure, an international organisation has said.

The International Justice Mission on Wednesday said Kadzo’s killing was not about a love triangle, as had been reported earlier in sections of the media, but about “power, control and systemic failure to protect survivors of violence”.

“Her death is a painful reminder of the persistent and deadly threat of violence against women and children in Kenya, particularly in vulnerable communities. Farida’s story reflects the harsh reality that many girls and women face – where poverty, gender inequity, and weak enforcement of laws create a deadly environment for survivors,” IJM Mombasa manager Aggrey Juma said.

He spoke  in the company of the late Kadzo’s mother Mary Mlongo, grandmother Kadzo Kazungu and aunt Rose Wambua.

It is a case of double tragedy for Kadzo, who was a survivor of sexual violence, having been defiled while she was 13 years old and was receiving support through the justice system.

Wambua said Kadzo had just finished cooking the family supper at around 8pm that fateful Friday when her supposed boyfriend, who had been hired at the homestead as a palm wine tapper six months earlier, called her for a conversation outside the kitchen.

“They moved aside and talked for about an hour. We ate our supper and called her to eat but she asked us to go ahead, that she would join us later. After a while we took food to both of them. They ate and Farida returned the utensils to the kitchen,” Wambua said.

The boyfriend left and after a few minutes Kadzo also left , saying she is going to pick her phone from a charging station.

“After about 20 minutes we heard a scream from behind the house. Shortly, we saw Farida running back with a knife in her throat. She removed it and collapsed before us,” Wambua said.

The boyfriend was arrested on Sunday and presented before court on Monday where the police asked for and were granted 10 days to complete investigations.

An autopsy on the body of Kadzo, which is lying at the Kilifi county hospital morgue, is expected to be conducted on Thursday.

“We ask that we get justice for Kadzo,” Wambua said.

The family said Kadzo has left behind a nine-month old baby.

The family said another boy was sentenced to two years in jail after being found guilty of defiling Kadzo, who was in Form 2 at the time of her death.

Juma called on the justice system to ensure the case is expedited.

The lawyer said so far at least 150 women have been reportedly killed in femicide cases in Kenya.

“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 taken to arrest the situation,” Juma said.

He said women in Kenya have not been adequately protected by the government.

 INSTANT ANALYSIS

In Kenya, femicide has become a lethal reality that women face daily. At least 500 women were murdered by their intimate partners between January 2016 and December 2023, according to Africa Data Hub. Between 39 and 47 per cent of Kenyan women have experienced gender-based violence in their lifetime.