Wednesday October 30, 2024 - Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA-Kenya) has urged President William Ruto to declare femicide a national crisis following the gruesome murder of several women in the last month.
In a statement, FIDA called on
the Head of State to urgently direct security officers across the country to
expedite the probe of all femicide cases and arrest all the perpetrators within
fourteen days.
While condemning the murder cases,
FIDA reiterated that the horrific and persistent violence against women that
has been witnessed in the country in recent weeks required immediate and
uncompromised action from all sectors including the government.
“The President should officially
declare femicide a national crisis and a disaster, assuring the public that
this administration is actively working to protect women and girls across the
nation,” read part of the statement by FIDA.
“We demand that he directs the
National Police Service to issue a comprehensive communique on the status of
the investigations within the next 14 days.”
According to the lobby group,
the Constitution of Kenya upholds the right to life and the freedom to security
of Kenyans thus the spate of unprecedented cases of femicide in the country was
a direct violation of the constitutional rights of women and girls.
In its statement, FIDA revealed
that since the start of the year, at least 30 women have reportedly been killed
under unclear circumstances including domestic violence and femicide.
However, according to the
non-governmental organisation, despite the cases having been reported in
various police stations, the pace of the investigation has been excruciatingly
slow, resulting in the denial of justice.
The last demand came against the
backdrop of the tragic murder of three Eastleigh women of Somali origin
and the murder of a Mt Kenya University female student.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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