The murders of Starlet Wahu, Rita Waeni and more than 17 other women since the beginning of the year 2024, have left Kenyans angered. It is a show of what has silently been happening in the country—femicide.
For some time now, cases of women found dead have been reported widely. The loss of life through hate killing paints a worrying trend of ignorance of the law and lack of respect for life and women. Victim shaming and validation of murder show a lack of humanity.
Femicide is a global concern. In Kenya, murders of women are reported each day in various parts of the country. Nakuru county for the longest time has taken the lead in the statistics.
It is estimated that over 115 cases of femicide were reported in 2023. A report by Amnesty International - Kenya shows that from 2016 to 2023, there were more than 500 documented reports on femicide.
On the morning of January 28, 2024, a 60-year-old woman was found dead in Kirinyaga county. This was hours after the country was brought to a halt by the Total Shutdown protests across Kenya.
In the era of infodemics, misinformation and disinformation influx, discrimination against women online is deeply rooted in psychographic metrics that incite deliberate hate of women.
Regardless of the choices women make, their economic endeavours, social life and human existence; it is enough to deduce that women are being murdered for being women.
The deliberate profiling of women as 'slay queens’, divorced, single mothers, prostitutes or opinionated, is discrimination and a violation of human rights.
It is uncouth in the present day to spread hate, regardless of gender, on account of prejudice, opinion, looks, presentation, health, family and origin.
Unfortunately for a long time, social media has been awash with unhealthy cancel culture against women, fuelling violence—physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. It is done through trolling, data mining, cancel culture and other forms of online gender-based violence.
Articles 26, 27 and 28 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, remain pristine clear on the right to life, non-discrimination and enjoyment of human dignity. The acts of murder are a deprivation of life amid other capital offences. This raises a need to refine our laws and policy in search for justice for victims and families for their lived experiences through femicide. These are not just homicide cases.
The state has remained silent on acts of femicide. Silence is at times seen as complacency to crime. Refusal to address femicide by elected leaders, is affirming a grave societal issue.
We don’t need to try and understand why femicide is happening, since that would be validation of an injustice. However we should demand justice, respect for the solemnity of the right to life, the rule of law and the complementary affirmation of gender roles. Women are here to stay.
We call upon the international community to affirm our call against the deliberate killing of women for being women.
Journalist and founding director of Young Women Growing Initiative – Kenya