Activists call for femicide to be declared a national disaster.

Women’s rights advocates are calling on President William Ruto to declare femicide a national disaster and expedite the resolution of all court cases related to the deaths and assaults of women.

The Coalition of Grassroots Human Rights Defenders emphasizes that addressing the alarming rise in the killing of women, particularly by intimate partners, demands a strong and coordinated response from government agencies.

“We urge the President to declare femicide a national disaster and push for a comprehensive judicial review of all cases related to femicide to ensure justice is served,” the coalition stated on Sunday.

The group further called on both state and non-state actors to stop normalizing femicide and instead recognize it as an issue connected to fundamental rights, including the right to life, dignity, freedom from torture, degrading treatment, and the right to assembly.

Femicide has become a significant issue in Kenya. According to a recent police report, 97 women were killed within a 90-day period.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lang’at noted that this trend demands urgent intervention to prevent it from escalating beyond control.

“This troubling trend underscores the immediate need for targeted actions and collaborative efforts to confront gender-based violence in our society,” Lang’at said.

However, DCI Director Mohammed Amin disputed the notion of gender-targeted killings, asserting that investigations into attacks and murders of women generally reveal criminal motives rather than gender bias.

“We are not claiming there is a concerted effort to target women specifically. Most cases we have investigated show criminal intent without any specific focus on targeting women,” Amin said.

One of the most recent incidents involved the killing of a woman, her daughter, and niece in Eastleigh, Nairobi, adding to the growing statistics. Reports show that in January alone, over 10 women fell victim to violence.

Rachel Mwikali, the head of the lobby, highlighted that young women in universities and colleges are often targeted. She called on these institutions to take proactive measures to address gender-based violence and femicide and to enforce strict actions against perpetrators.

“Higher learning institutions must develop early warning systems to identify and prevent potential cases of violence,” Mwikali said.

Mwikali also questioned whether current laws, including the penal code, are sufficient to address the crisis of femicide effectively.

“It is alarming that such cases are on the rise despite laws that are meant to protect women and girls in this country,” she said.

The coalition criticized the security agencies’ response, stating that a patriarchal mindset has led to inadequate handling of femicide cases and called for a change in attitude and approach.

“We are concerned that security agencies are not treating femicide with the urgency it warrants,” Mwikali added.

The rising number of cases has caught the attention of key leaders, with President William Ruto and Chief Justice Martha Koome advocating for stronger and faster action from the security sector.