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| Screengrab from Kenya's Daily Nation |
Good afternoon beautiful people,
On Monday evening as I was catching up with the News in Kenya - and here in the US - I saw a clip on the protests in Nairobi against femicide, and the subsequent tear gassing of demonstrators. As I watched demonstrators running for cover, I was reminded of a protest I helped to organize in 2013 to seek Justice for Liz (I think I have mentioned this before on this blog).
Liz is a 16 year old girl who was raped and thrown into a pit latrine to die. She fortunately survived - but when the matter was reported, her attackers were asked to cut grass and go home. As a reflection on the consequences of speaking up in both cases - Liz and the protestors - I decided to write the opinion piece - juxtaposing the two incidents, giving stats, and suggestions on how Kenya can do better by Kenyan women.
Read the piece on today's Daily Nation (Kenya) or find it below.
To mark the conclusion of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Kenyan women and their allies took to the streets across the country to protest the alarming rise in femicide.
The 16 Days of Activism is an international campaign beginning on November 26, the International Day to End Violence Against Women, and concluding on December 10, World Human Rights Day.
During this period, gender-based organisations host events to educate the public, provide policy guidance, and launch initiatives that promote the well-being of women within their communities.
Given the escalating femicide cases in Kenya, this year's culmination of the 16 Days of Activism featured public marches to keep the issue in the spotlight and demand government action. This is not the first time Kenyan women have protested against femicide.
On January 27 a similar march was held to seek justice for 14 femicide cases reported since the beginning of 2024. The number has since risen, with the crisis gaining international attention after the murder of Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei by her partner in September.
Her death highlighted the vulnerability of all women, as she became the third prominent female athlete to die in similar circumstances - following the murders of Agnes Tirop in October 2021 and Damaris Mutua in April 2022.
Femicide, a form of gender-based violence involving the intentional killing of women or girls, is not unique to Kenya. A 2023 UN report described femicide as the most extreme form of violence against women and estimated that approximately 140 women and girls are killed daily by an intimate partner or family member. Locally, an October report from the Kenyan National Police Service revealed that 97 women and girls were murdered in just three months — equating to at least one woman being killed daily.
Violence against women remains a pervasive issue in Kenya. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2022 Demographic and Health Survey, 34 per cent of women and girls aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence since the age of 15, with 16 per cent reporting incidents within the past year.
Many women are reluctant to speak up due to threats, victim- blaming, and dismissive attitudes from law enforcement. Tragically, the very systems meant to protect victims often perpetuate the cycle of violence.
This failure was starkly evident in the 2013 “Justice for Liz" protests, which I helped organise. These demonstrations were sparked by the case of 16-year- old Liz (pseudonym), who was raped and left for dead in a pit latrine.
The perpetrators, once reported, were merely ordered to cut grass and released. Many women continue to encounter systemic barriers when seeking help, from the fear of further violence to apathy at police stations.
For femicide victims, the stakes are even higher - they often lose their lives before they can even seek justice. Protests allow Kenyan women to advocate for those who have been silenced, for themselves, and for future generations.
Sending love and light,
Sitawa
