Shock of 97 women killed in 3 months as police pledge to unearth crimes

Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Amin Mohamed, Deputy Inspectors General Gilbert Masengeli and Eliud Lagat. [File, Standard]

At least 97 women have been killed in three months in a move that's now been linked to rising cases of femicide.

This was revealed by police Wednesday during a briefing that brought together top police bosses led by Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Amin Mohamed and Deputy Inspectors General Eliud Lagat and Gilbert Masengeli.

"About 90 per cent of femicide cases have been thoroughly investigated resulting in the arrest of suspects with these cases pending in court," Mr Lagat stated on behalf of the Inspector General.

While appealing for action against gender-based violence, the National Police Service expressed dedication to investigate all crimes.

The police highlighted some successful cases of where suspects have been apprehended.

They included that of Monica Kimani in 2018 that saw key suspect Jowie Irungu sentenced for life, that of Marybell Amankor in 2018 where Benson Marangu was jailed for 40 years,

Another case was that of Sheila Adhiambo Lumumba who was tragically murdered in Nyeri County in 2022 and Billinton Mwatire was jailed for 30 years.

This comes after three women from the same family were killed in Nairobi's Eastleigh estate leading to public outcry.

Mental health issues

Gender Principal Secretary Anne Wang'ombe, who accompanied the police bosses, linked the rising cases to mental health issues and strange movies.

"It appears that people have continued to become very aggressive. We also have mental issues where some people get depressed and impatient which then spark these cases," she said.

She also highlighted economic hardship, which has led to rising femicide cases.

"As much as the government commits to put all mechanisms in place to ensure our security and safety, I appeal that we become more conscious of our surroundings and report to the law enforcers any suspicious characters," the PS added.

DCI boss Amin stated that investigators were treating all criminal activities equally and not zeroing in on femicide alone.

"Majority of the cases we are investigating the motive is purely criminal, so let the gender feel that they are being targeted by these criminals," Amin said.

In relation to Eastleigh murders, Amin said investigators have identified suspects behind the killings and are already on pursuit.

Amin added that three people have been arrested so far and a firearm believed to be that of Wells Fargo manager Willis Ayieko recovered on Tuesday night.