National crisis declaration demanded in Kenya over violence against women

Demonstrators carried a coffin (Patrick Ngugi/AP)

Hundreds of women on Monday took to the streets of Kenya’s capital, calling for the government to urgently investigate rising cases of violence against women and femicide, or the killing of women.

The women walked through the streets of Nairobi holding placards with messages such as “Stop Killing Women”, and creating awareness about the disappearance and murders of children reported locally in recent weeks.

Police escorted the protesters, who also carried a coffin.

Women’s rights organisations have described rising cases of gender-based violence and urged the government to declare it a national crisis.

Women’s rights organisations have described rising cases of violence against women (Patrick Ngugi/AP)

The protest came after a local singer was doused with petrol and set on fire, and later died.

On May 23, police said they had formed a special investigative unit, bringing together criminal intelligence analysts, forensic experts, homicide investigators and other specialists.

The police said that most gender-based violence cases are linked to domestic disputes, intimate partner violence, sexual offences, assault and unresolved family conflicts.

According to the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya, the organisation receives about 70 gender-based violence cases every week across its three offices in Nairobi, the port city of Mombasa and the lakeside city of Kisumu.

Lobby groups on May 21 issued a 40-day ultimatum to the government to act or face nationwide protests. However, they have started protest action sooner.