Kenya Sees Nationwide Protests Against Rising Femicide Cases

Activists Demand Legal Recognition of Femicide Amid Reports of Over 500 Women Killed Since 2016

Thousands of people across Kenya have been protesting against the rising cases of femicide, with at least 14 women murdered since the start of the year.
Two high-profile cases involved women who were killed at Airbnb accommodations, one of whom was dismembered and decapitated after reportedly being kidnapped for ransom.
Activists are demanding that femicide be distinctly recognised as a crime and for perpetrators to receive heavier sentences.
Kenyan media outlets have reported that at least 500 women were killed in acts of femicide from January 2016 to December 2023, with many more cases likely going unreported.
Law Society of Kenya President Eric Theuri highlighted that cases of gender-based violence take too long to be heard in court, which he believes emboldens perpetrators to commit crimes against women.