Breaking the Silence: Confronting femicide and building a safer society for women

For many Kenyan women, the current situation is akin to living in a nightmare [Courtesy, Freepik]

Barely two weeks into the new year and a dark shadow has been cast on Kenyan women. It is possible that there are unreported cases of femicide in addition to the four (4) young women who have already lost their lives to it. For many Kenyan women, the current situation is akin to living in a nightmare because safety is not guaranteed when in the company of a male counterpart or even outside the confines of the walls of your home. Femicide, the intentional killing of women and is a component of gender-based violence.

The four incidents show the prevalence of gender-based violence within our community despite there being legal policies and numerous awareness campaigns against the vice. The chronology in which the atrocious murders have taken place is an alarming sign of the negligible value the lives of women is accorded and the degeneration of our societal values.