Hundreds of Kenyans and civil society groups on Monday staged protests in Nairobi, demanding urgent government action to address the growing cases of femicide, violence against women and the disappearance of children, while accusing the State of failing to implement key recommendations aimed at tackling the crisis.
The demonstrators gathered along Kenyatta Avenue, where they held a peaceful sit-down protest, sang songs, carried banners and chanted anti-femicide slogans as they called on leaders to prioritise the safety and protection of women and children across the country.
Participants said every woman or child lost to violence reflects a failure by society and the justice system to protect vulnerable members of the public.
A major concern raised during the demonstrations was the government's failure to act on recommendations contained in the report of the Presidential Technical Working Group on Gender Based Violence (GBV), including Femicide.
President William Ruto appointed the 43-member task force early last year to review existing laws, examine trends and propose measures to strengthen support systems for survivors of violence.
According to Njeri Migwi, the executive director of Usikimye, an organisation campaigning against GBV and femicide, the situation continues to worsen despite the task force completing its work.
Migwi said her organisation has documented 67 femicide cases since January this year.
She noted that six months after the task force submitted its report to the President, none of its recommendations had been implemented.
“We are calling on the government to act swiftly and implement the report. Women are no longer safe, and things cannot continue this way where women live in perpetual fear,” she said.
She also urged men to take an active role in ending femicide and GBV by becoming ambassadors against the crimes.
Law Society of Kenya Vice-President Teresia Wavinya criticised the government's response, saying little had been done to address the growing threat facing women.
“We cannot see what the government has done to fight this menace that is threatening our women. It’s sad to see that the government has not taken any initiative to work on the recommendations of the task force,” she said.
Wavinya called for the creation of gender desks in all police stations, staffed by trained female officers with skills to handle GBV cases.
End Femicide Coordinator Rachel Mwikali urged the government to declare femicide a national crisis, arguing that such a move would help unlock public resources needed to address the problem.
She called for stronger enforcement of the law, quicker investigations and tougher action against offenders, saying the killings had reached worrying levels and required a coordinated national response.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga also joined calls for stronger action, urging the government to take the issue of femicide and the disappearance of children more seriously.
The demonstrators further demanded the establishment of specialised courts to handle femicide and child trafficking cases, mandatory vetting of all individuals working with children and the creation of a sexual offenders register.
The Presidential Technical Working Group on GBV and Femicide presented its report to President Ruto in January, outlining a wide range of recommendations aimed at ending violence against women and reducing femicide cases.
However, the proposals have yet to be implemented.
As the report remains pending, cases of femicide continue to increase, with recent statistics showing that at least one woman is killed every day.
Two weeks ago, Gender, Culture and Children's Services Cabinet Secretary Hannah Cheptumo warned that Kenya was facing a growing crisis of femicide and GBV.
She said violence against women had reached alarming levels and stressed the need to strengthen protection systems for victims and those at risk.
Cheptumo said the ministry was working with women leaders, the Kenya Red Cross and the National Gender and Equality Commission to raise awareness and improve safety measures.
“Timely reporting is critical to enable swift intervention, investigations, rescue operations, rehabilitation and access to justice for affected persons,” she said.
Among the measures currently being pursued are faster prosecution of offenders, stronger enforcement mechanisms and tougher penalties for perpetrators.
She also announced plans to expand safe houses, one-stop crisis centres, and child rescue and rehabilitation services as part of efforts to respond to the growing challenge.