What would it take to keep all Kenyan women and girls safe?

Parents and guardians walk outside the Utumishi Girls Academy following the deadly fire in Gilgil, May 28, 2026. [AFP]

With 16 Utumishi Girls Academy students dead and 74 injured, the nation reels from another horrific, tragic incident. As feminists are forced to organise another public memorial this coming Madaraka Day, what would it take to keep all Kenyan women and children safe?

Public, parental, and policymakers’ attention has been recently gripped by the seemingly endless testimonies and reports of femicide, pedicide, and missing children since Missing Children’s Day (ironically also Africa Liberation Day, 25 May 2026). The Kenya Gender Ministry Directorate of Children Services informs us that 10,581 children went missing between January 2025 and March 2026. This is a staggering 23 children a day.