Parade Exposes Victim-Blaming and Gender Based Violence Normalization against Women in Kenya.

In the final week of January 2024, hundreds of young women and male supporters assembled in Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Nyeri, and Lodwar, protesting against surge of femicide cases in the past 3 weeks. Many held placards and donned t-shirts bearing the names of young women who fell victim to suspicious and gender-based violence (GBV) murders across the country.

According to a 2022 survey, at least one in three Kenyan women experienced physical violence at some stage in their lives. Femicide, the intentional killing of a woman or girl because of their gender, remains a pressing concern in Kenya.

Amnesty International reports over 500 cases of femicide in Kenya between 2016 and 2023. A significant number of these victims were slain by intimate partners or individuals known to them.

Human rights defenders and civil advocates are urging authorities to accelerate the delivery of justice for all recent victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

The nation was recently shaken by two high-profile cases involving women murdered at Airbnb accommodations in Roysambu and South B, Nairobi County.

The second victim, a university student, was tragically dismembered and decapitated following an attack from an ex-boyfriend in Machakos County.

These incidents have intensified calls for urgent action to address the pervasive issue of gender-based violence in Kenya.

The murders ignited widespread outrage at the same time an equal if not overwhelming a surge of....

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