Close to 11 months since the march dubbed #TotalShutdownKenyaAgain took over the streets of Nairobi and other major towns on January 27, 2024, Kenyans led by human rights activists have embarked on plans for another countrywide march against violence on women dubbed #EndFemicideKE
In what has been a year dominated by Gen Z-led protests, mainly against tax-raising proposals by the Kenyan government, 2024 is set to close with another round of protests, this time against the persisting femicide wave in the country.
Close to 11 months since the march dubbed #TotalShutdownKenyaAgain took over the streets of Nairobi and other major towns on January 27, 2024, Kenyans led by human rights activists have embarked on plans for another countrywide march against violence on women dubbed #EndFemicideKE
Viral Tea stumbled upon scores of posts under the hashtag on X, but a 30-second clip on TikTok shared by a human rights defender Zaha Indimuli, identified as Zaha Speaks, is setting the tone for another feminist march planned for Tuesday, December 10. This also happens to be the same day World Human Rights Day is celebrated.
“A call to all women of Kenya and beyond, prepare for the national march against femicide and gender-based violence. Tuesday, 10.12.24,” the caption in the video reads.
Please attend if you’re available, and give if you aren’t! ???????? pic.twitter.com/RxPtfJmbfW
— Tugen girl (@tugengirl) November 13, 2024
The planned peaceful protests have gained so much prominence already, that major Kenyan personalities such as gospel musician Kambua have joined in rallying Kenyans for the march. She wrote on X “10/12/24 we march against femicide. Every woman deserves safety, dignity, & respect.”
Femicide cases dominated news headlines at the beginning of the year, leading to the first round of anti-femicide protests. The murders of Starlet Wahu and 20-year-old Rita Waeni in the space of a week rocked the country to the very core.
The cases had reduced in prominence during the course of the year, only to resurface between the months of August and October, with data from the National Police Service (NPS) showing that at least 97 women were brutally murdered in a period of just 90 days, a cruel statistic that breaks the hearts of many.
Worse yet, after the report which was released at least two weeks ago, there have been more than 15 additional cases of gruesome murders of women reported countrywide, with the police stating that investigations are ongoing to bring to book all suspects linked to the murders.
On November 1, President William Ruto issued instructions to the homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in a bid to address with finality the femicide menace. DCI officers were instructed by the Head of State to work closely with other security agencies and investigate the matter to completion.
In his directive, President Ruto reiterated the government’s commitment to ending cases of femicide in the country and that the government would deal decisively with those found culpable of committing the heinous crime.
“I want to ask Kenyans to be careful with people, particularly strangers who lure girls and women to situations that compromise their security. We must be on the lookout as a nation, this is yet another moment, another beginning,” the Head of State asserted.
Beforehand, the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA-Kenya) demanded that President Ruto address the nation from the State House and consider declaring the vice, which dominated news headlines in January this year and led to anti-femicide protests, a national disaster and a crisis of public proportions.
The group also urged President Ruto to urgently direct security officers across the country to expedite the probe of all feminicide cases and arrest all the perpetrators within 14 days.
Parliament and Judiciary were also included in FIDA’s demands, amidst its commitment to advancing legislative reforms to introduce femicide as a standalone crime within the Penal Code. The two arms of government were urged to support this amendment to ensure that crimes specifically targeting women based on gender are met with appropriate legal consequences and action.
FIDA warned that failure for action to be taken by the government in the next 30 days would force the group to consider other options that include “mobilising a nationwide picketing of women to demand our right to safety and justice.”
Last Time Out
On January 27, thousands of Kenyans gathered to protest in cities and towns in Kenya against the femicide menace, the largest event ever held in the country against sexual and gender-based violence. In the capital, Nairobi, protesters wore T-shirts printed with the names of women who became homicide victims this month. The crowd, composed mostly of women, brought traffic to a standstill.
“Stop killing us!” the demonstrators shouted as they waved signs with messages such as “There is no justification to kill women.”
The crowd in Nairobi was hostile to attempts by the Woman Representative Esther Passaris, to address them. Accusing Passaris of remaining silent during the latest wave of killings, protesters shouted her down in the middle of Jeevanjee Gardens with charged chants of “Where were you?” and “Go home!”
Passaris, who defended the rude interruption, had indicated that she understood where the crowd was coming from and that their anger was justified, however noting that she had been pushing for protests actively on the sides.
The protests attended by close to 10,000 women and men were staged in Nairobi and in major towns countrywide in response to the increased systematic killing of women and girls in general across the country owing to their gender.
Given that some of the resurging femicide cases in the 90-day period have been shocking, and owing to how the Gen Z-led protests against the deleted Finance Bill 2024 went down, the December 10 protests could attract numbers that are likely to shatter records.
