The Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA-Kenya) has urged President William Ruto to consider declaring femicide a national crisis following the gruesome murder of several women in the last month.
In a statement issued by the lobby group on October 29, FIDA called on the Head of State to urgently direct security officers across the country to expedite the probe of all feminicide cases and arrest all the perpetrators within fourteen days.
While condemning the murder cases, FIDA reiterated that the horrific and persistent violence against women that has been witnessed in the country in recent weeks required immediate and uncompromised action from all sectors including the government.
“The President should officially declare femicide a national crisis and a disaster, assuring the public that this administration is actively working to protect women and girls across the nation,” read part of the statement by FIDA.
“We demand that he directs the National Police Service to issue a comprehensive communique on the status of the investigations within the next 14 days.”
According to the lobby group, the Constitution of Kenya upholds the right to life and the freedom to security of Kenyans thus the spate of unprecedented cases of femicide in the country was a direct violation of the constitutional rights of women and girls.
In its statement, FIDA revealed that since the start of the year, at least 30 women have reportedly been killed under unclear circumstances including domestic violence and femicide.
However, according to the non-governmental organisation, despite the cases having been reported in various police stations, the pace of the investigation has been excruciatingly slow, resulting in the denial of justice.
Additionally, President Ruto was also urged to immediately fill in the vacant position of the gender cabinet secretary to help in the coordination of a multisectoral approach to femicide prevention across the country.
"This Cabinet Secretary must spearhead awareness and sensitisation initiatives on evolving issues, such as electronically facilitated gender-based violence (EFGBV), and champion collaborative efforts across government and civil society to address gender-based violence (GBV)," read the demand notice.
The last demand came against the backdrop of the tragic murder of three Eastleigh women of Somali origin and the murder of Mt Kenya Univerity female student.
While appraising journalists on the investigations, the head of homicide detectives at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) noted that key suspects had been arrested and that the probe was still ongoing to bring more culprits to book.
