The government on Thursday, January 23, invited Kenyans to provide strategies and ideas on how to deal with the fresh wave of femicide cases that is plaguing the country.
Through a statement, the government through spokesperson Isaac Mwaura drummed up support for the task force recently constituted by President William Ruto to combat the femicide vice.
“Let’s support the task force recently constituted by President Ruto by volunteering ideas and strategies to deal with femicide effectively,” Mwaura noted.
While condoling with the families of the victims, Mwaura acknowledged the recent media reports of 15 women as victims of femicide since the turn of the new year.
“The government takes note of media reports that 15 women have recently lost their lives, thus increasing cases of femicide across the country,” Mwaura noted.
Further, the government condemned the fresh wave of femicide cases pledging its commitment to getting down to the bottom of the surge of the femicide cases.
“The government strongly condemns these inhuman acts & our security forces are working round the clock to bring the culprits to book,” Mwaura noted.
On Friday, January 10, President William Ruto appointed a 42-member Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) to fight the rising gender-based violence and femicide.
According to a Gazette Notice, the Head of State tapped Dr Nancy Baraza to head the committee. Ruto also appointed the Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo and crime and investigative journalist Franklin Wallah as members.
Others include Linah Jebii Kilimo, who served as the MP for Marakwet East and held the position of Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Cooperative Development and Marketing, and Dr Sam Thenya, the founder of the Nairobi Women's Hospital.
Ruto cited the increased cases of GBV and femicide that, according to the president, have continued to cause immense physical, emotional, and economic harm to individuals, families, and communities and existing gaps in prevention, response, investigations, prosecution, data management, and survivor support systems.
The Committee was tasked with the responsibilities of assessing, reviewing, and recommending measures to strengthen the institutional, legal, and policy response to GBV and femicide in the country.
The group will focus on identifying trends, strengthening legal frameworks, and proposing actionable measures to combat the pervasive issue.
In its operations, the working group is empowered to co-opt experts, conduct public hearings, and examine official reports or case findings. Collaboration with the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) is mandated to ensure effective implementation. State entities have been directed to provide all necessary support and cooperation to facilitate the group’s work.
The group will report to the Deputy President through the Principal Secretary for Gender, who will chair an oversight committee comprising Principal Secretaries from various state departments.
The group is expected to submit a final report within 90 days, with provisions for an extension if necessary.
According to the African Data Hub, over 500 women were victims of femicide in Kenya between January 2016 to December 2023 highlighting the severity of the situation. Within August, September and October 2024, the Deputy Police Inspector General of Police, revealed that 97 women were victims of femicide.
