Thousands march to protest against Femicide in Kenya

Thousands protest against the rise in violence against women in Kenya

The demonstration marked the largest-ever event protesting sexual and gender-based violence in the country.

In various cities and towns across Kenya, thousands of people gathered to protest against the recent killings of over a dozen women. The anti-femicide demonstration, held on Saturday, marked the largest event in the country's history against sexual and gender-based violence.

Protesters in the capital, Nairobi, donned T-shirts bearing the names of women who fell victim to homicide this month. The predominantly female crowd brought traffic to a halt while shouting slogans like "Stop killing us!" and displaying signs with messages such as "There is no justification to kill women."

During the demonstration in Nairobi, attempts by parliamentary representative for women, Esther Passaris, to address the crowd were met with hostility. Protesters accused Passaris of remaining silent during the recent wave of killings, chanting phrases like "Where were you?" and "Go home!"

Among the demonstrators, Eric Theuri, the President of the Law Society of Kenya, emphasized that a country is judged by how well it takes care of its weak and vulnerable population, not just its affluent citizens.

Kenyan media outlets have reported at least 14 women killed since the beginning of the year, according to Patricia Andago, a data journalist at media and research firm Odipo Dev, who participated in the march. Odipo Dev reported that news accounts revealed over 500 women were killed in acts of femicide from January 2016 to December 2023, with many cases going unreported.

Two particularly notable cases this month involved women killed at Airbnb accommodations. The second victim, a university student, was dismembered and decapitated after reportedly being kidnapped for ransom.

Theuri highlighted the prolonged duration of gender-based violence cases in Kenyan courts, attributing it to a shortage of judges and resources.

“As we speak right now, we have a shortage of about 100 judges. We have a shortage of 200 magistrates and adjudicators, and so that means that the wheel of justice grinds slowly as a result of inadequate provisions of resources,” he said.

Source: Al Jazeera