Kenyans take to the street to protest femicide

Kenyans took to the streets on the 27 of January to protest the rising cases of femicide in the country. The protest was sparked by the death of 20-year-old Rita Waeni. Ms Waeni’s death led to calls for more to be done to protect women and girls and gender based reduce violence.  

The demonstration took place in multiple locations in Kenya and online and offline and witnessed a massive turnout of protestors.

 The protestors who carried placards and tee shirts which read “end femicide,” “stop killing us,” and “Protect our daughters and sisters; end femicide,” among others called for femicide to be unequivocally recognised as a criminal offence.

The also called on the Kenyan government to institute comprehensive data collection on violence against women, and stressed the need for adequate training of health and law enforcement officials to proactively identify and safeguard vulnerable individuals.