The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has unveiled a special team to expedite investigations into sexual offences and murder incidents related to women.
The team, from the homicide department, was specially trained to handle the rising number of femicide cases in the country.
Speaking during the unveiling of the team, DCI Director Mohamed Amin stated that the team will comprise criminal intelligence analysts and forensic experts, who will partner with other stakeholders to develop appropriate strategies.
Amin also confirmed that 65 suspects linked to femicide cases between 2021 and 2024 were already arraigned in various courts countrywide.
“These killings have cast a dark shadow over our safety and security endeavours. We must put this menace to end with remarkable speed and finality,” he stated.
Amin further pledged that he would supply the department with the required resources to efficiently expedite the investigations.
Members of the public were further requested to volunteer any information that could assist in the apprehension of perpetrators of these heinous acts through the toll-free DCI hotline 0800722203.
“There is a nexus between femicide and sexual violence. We know the perpetrators of these heinous crimes, let us expose them. Let us all join hands to defeat this evil,” he stated.
Femicide cases have been on the rise in 2024, with over 15 women murdered countrywide.
The most horrific of the incidents involved a 20-year-old Jomo Kenyatta University (JKUAT) student, Rita Waeni, who was strangled and dismembered.
Thousands of women and activists thus held peaceful demonstrations countrywide on January 27, calling for an end to the killings. The activists requested relevant authorities and stakeholders to enact policies and enforce existing ones to curb femicide cases.
A report by Africa Uncensored revealed that approximately 500 women have been murdered between 2021 and 2024, with 60% of the killings done by people close to the victims.
