Special unit formed to tackle femicide cases as 100 women murdered in 4 months
A special missing persons unit has been formed to address femicide cases in the country.
This has been revealed by Acting Interior Cabinet Musalia Mudavadi during his national security brief today.
The unit spearheaded by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja will be domiciled at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) homicide unit.
The formation comes after 100 femicide cases were reported across the country between August and November 2024.
The CS revealed that the directorate of criminal investigations has finished investigations on a majority of cases and that they are pending in court.
“There are 100 murders of women from August to November 2024. So far, DCI has completed investigations on these cases and the majority are pending before court. The Inspector General of Police has formed a specialized missing persons unit domiciled at the DCI Homicide Unit to deal with cases of femicide.” Mudavadi stated.
The Prime CS highlighted that the alarming rise in femicide cases has become a significant concern within the security sector with over seven thousand sexual and gender-based violence cases being reported since September last year.
“Currently, the elephant in the room in the security sector is the worrying trend of emerging cases of femicide. The country has recorded a total of 7,107 sexual and gender-based violence cases from September 2023 to date.” He explained.
Nairobi County recorded the highest number of SGBV cases since September 2023, while Samburu and Mandera recorded the lowest cases.
Mudavadi reiterated the government’s commitment to tackle femicide after President William Ruto formed a presidential working group on femicide.
He explained that the team is expected to address femicide issues within 90 days and deliver actionable proposals.
