DEMONSTRATIONS are taking place across major cities in Kenya to protest against the rising cases of femicide and other violence against women.
Hundreds have gathered in Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Nyeri and Lodwar, some carrying placards with the names of those who were killed.
A 2022 survey found at least one in three Kenyan women had endured physical violence at some point in their lives.
“I am here because I’m angry,” 33-year-old Winnie Chelagat told the BBC.
“It is wrong, we are tired and we want something to be done about it.”
Men and boys must take responsibility for their own actions instead of the burden being on women and girls to protect themselves, said another protester called Michael Onyango.
“We should educate our sons and tell them that they need to stop killing women.”
Saturday’s protests follow a series of gruesome murders of women – including one victim, later named as Rita Waeni, whose dismembered remains were found stuffed into a plastic bag at an Airbnb rental apartment.
Femicide is defined as intentionally killing a woman or girl because they are female.
Amnesty International says more than 500 cases of femicide were recorded in Kenya between the years 2016 and 2023.
Many of the victims were killed by intimate partners or people known to them.
