2024: Kenya's deadliest year for women as femicide cases double

Human rights activists in match against rising femicide cases in the country, in this photo taken on Saturday 27, 2024.[Collins Oduor, Standard] A new femicide report shows that 2024 was the deadliest year on record for women in Kenya, with the number of female murders more than doubling compared to previous years. The report, part of the ongoing Silencing Women Project by Odipo Dev and Africa Uncensored, reveals that 170 women were killed in 2024, an increase from the annual average of 85 cases recorded from 2016 to 2023. The report highlights intimate partner violence as the primary cause, with husbands or boyfriends responsible for 70 per cent of the murders. In addition, there has been an alarming rise in brutal methods of murder, with 7 per cent of cases involving sexual assault and 6 per cent involving hacking. The geographical spread of femicide has also widened, with Nairobi, Kiambu and Nakuru continuing to see the highest numbers of female murders. Counties like Kisii, Kitui, Meru and Nyeri have also emerged among the top ten counties with recorded femicides. Younger women remain the prime target, with those aged 18 to 35 making up more than half of the victims. The perpetrators are primarily young men, with 66 per cent of suspects in court cases between 2016 and 2024 aged between 18 and 35. Despite the surge in cases, the justice system remains sluggish, with an average time of 4.01 years for a case to go from filing to verdict. 2024's shocking femicide figures come even as reports indicate that Kenya recorded 7,107 sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases since September 2023. At least 100 women were killed between August and November 2024 alone, further illustrating the growing crisis. In response, President William Ruto has taken steps to combat the rising trend of femicide. On November 20, 2024, he committed Sh100 million to the Safe Home, Safe Space Campaign, aimed at eradicating femicide across the country. In his recent State of the Nation address, he reaffirmed the government's commitment to policies designed to end femicide, calling for swift action against perpetrators. Civil society groups have echoed these concerns, calling for authorities to bring those responsible to justice. The calls reached a crescendo in December 2024 when at least 10 activists, including Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton, were arrested in Nairobi during an anti-femicide march. The protest, held on Tuesday, December 12, marked the end of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), an annual event observed from November 25 to December 10. The activists began their march from Jeevanjee Gardens, attempting to present petitions to several government institutions, including the Supreme Court, police headquarters, and the Office of the President, calling for urgent action to end the killings of women. However, the peaceful protest was met with teargas as police in both uniform and plainclothes dispersed the demonstrators, who were mostly young women. "The government is doing little to end these heinous acts. It's the work of the government to protect us, even if the people killing us do so because we are prostitutes," said activist Lilian Kerubo. The protest was sparked by growing public concern over the rising cases of femicide. In addition to the alarming 170 cases of femicide in 2024, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reported 94 women and girls killed between 2021 and 2024, with 65 suspects charged in connection with these murders. Several high-profile cases have further fueled public outrage, including the discovery of six bodies in an Embakasi dumpsite and the arrest of a man in Baringo after his wife's decomposed body was found following a domestic dispute. In a joint statement issued the same day, Amnesty International Kenya, the Law Society of Kenya, the Human is My ID Alliance, and the End Femicide KE Movement condemned the police's actions against the peaceful protestors. "On this International Human Rights Day, we witnessed a grave violation of the principles of dignity, freedom and rights. The violent response by police, including the arrest of peaceful protestors, is a direct attack on Kenya's democratic principles and the human rights of its citizens," the statement read.

2024: Kenya's deadliest year for women as femicide cases double

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