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2024 a year of high increment of femicide in Kenya

Femicide: The Situation is Getting Worse

The year 2024 was not particularly good for women in Kenya, as it recorded the highest number of female murders in the country since 2016.

In a new report dubbed Femicide: The Situation is Getting Worse, a total of 170 female murder cases were recorded last year, up from 95 in the previous year. This report was authored by Femicide Kenya.

Twenty-five per cent of all the women killed in 2024 were through stabbing, followed by hacking (19 per cent), and brunt force (14 per cent), while the manner of killing in 18 per cent of the murders was not established.

Of the killed women, 11 per cent were reported to have been sexually assaulted, while four per cent were straggled.

Nairobi, Kiambu and Nakuru counties had the highest incidences of female murders, whereas Kisii, Kitui, Meru and Nyeri counties were new entrants to the top ten counties with killings recorded.

Of the 170 fatal victims of femicide, 28 of them happened in the capital, 16 in Kiambu and 15 in Nakuru. Kirinyaga and Kisii counties followed with nine reported cases each, while Kisumu and Kitui had eight cases each. Meru, Machakos and Nyeri closed the top ten list with six cases each.

The report indicates that convictions for charges involving femicide increased by 118 per cent in 2024 from the previous year, the highest level it has been since 2018. Last year, 35convictions were made, compared to just 16 the year before. There were 33 convictions in 2018 and 31 in 2019.

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However, the data from the report shows that relationships are still dangerous for women, as a majority of those murdered in 2024 had the atrocities meted on them by their husbands. The report says 48.4 per cent of the perpetrators were husbands. Those killed by their boyfriends accrued to 29 per cent, while 14.5 per cent of those killed met their deaths at the hands of family members.

Of these deaths, 61 per cent of them happened at home, while 17 per cent happened at public spaces. Only one per cent happened at workplaces.

The worrying statistics indicate that younger women remain the prime target, whereas young men remain the main perpetrators. Of those killed, 50.6 per cent were in the age bracket of between 18 and 35 years, with those between 35 and 50 years constituting 22.2 per cent.

Sixty-six per cent of the perpetrators were found to be in the age bracket of between 18 and 35 years, while those aged 50 years and above stood at 17 per cent. Perpetrators of women in 2024 aged 36-50 were 14 per cent, while those aged 18 and below were three per cent.

On matters justice, however, the year 2024 faired relatively well as compared to the year before. Last year, cases pertaining femicide cases took about 4.02 years to be determined, as compared to 4.25 years in 2023.

These findings paint a stark picture of how human life is disregarded in the country, especially against women. Gender-based violence continues to stand out like a sore thumb within the Kenyan society.

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Last year, masses flooded the streets across major cities in Kenya to protest against the rising cases of femicide and other violence against women. President William Ruto even committed Sh100 million towards the Safe Home, Safe Space Campaign that seeks to end femicide cases across the country.

However, despite the president’s show of commitment to tame the murder cases against women in the country, some security organs in Kenya were not so eager in protecting those who were calling out to the end of the killings.

On December 10, 2024, police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of people who gathered to protest against gender-based violence and femicide. Some of the protestors were arrested and later released with no charges being proposed on them. Amnesty International and the Law Society of Kenya released a joint statement condemning the police actions, saying it sent a “chilling message” to peaceful protesters.

“The violent response by police, including the arrest of these peaceful protesters, is a direct attack on Kenya’s democratic principles and the human rights of its citizens,” read the statement in part.

 

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