Multi-stakeholder Forum on Ending Femicide in Kenya
Femicide, the deliberate killing of women because they are women, is a grave violation of human rights and a significant concern globally. In Kenya, like many other countries, femicide persists despite legal frameworks and efforts to address gender-based violence. The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) indicates that over 40 per cent of women have experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime. In all these cases, the blame has shifted from the perpetrators to the victims. This staggering number only represents cases reported in the media and does not represent the true count as on average a woman or girl is killed every day, often by a close family member.
Femicide Count Kenya which monitors killings reported in local news in Kenya, records that at least 504 women have been murdered between 2019 and 2024. In 2023, the organisation recorded at least 152 killings the highest in the past five years.
The stabbing to death of 26-year-old Starlet Wahu, a popular Instagram figure in a short-term rental apartment and the brutal murder and dismemberment of yet another young woman 20-year-old Rita Waeni with her remains scattered by the killer and some stuffed in a plastic bag necessitated protests on the streets of Nairobi by women-led organizations and feminist movements condemning the killings. Faith-based organizations and religious leaders held an Interfaith roundtable dialogue aimed at fostering deeper discussions on femicide cases and committing together to an end to femicide cases in Kenya.
Despite legislative frameworks and efforts by various stakeholders, femicide continues to persist, often fueled by deep-rooted gender inequalities, cultural norms, and systemic failures. Addressing femicide requires a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach involving government institutions, media, police service, legal system, religious institutions, civil society organizations, academia, and the private sector. The Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Ending Femicide in Kenya aims to bring together these diverse stakeholders to strategize and collaborate in combating this urgent issue.
Recognizing this urgent need for collective action the All-Africa Conference of Churches, Christian Aid and Church Women United propose to convene a Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Ending Femicide in Kenya. The forum will serve as a critical platform for stakeholders to come together, share knowledge, and forge partnerships to tackle this pressing issue. By working collectively, we can strive towards a future where women and girls in Kenya are free from the threat of femicide and all forms of gender-based violence.
Objectives
The forum will convene diverse stakeholders who collectively engage on the issue of femicide and other forms of GBV in Kenya to identify opportunities, lessons learned, good practices and innovative approaches to address GBV. The forum aims to focus on practical solutions from different stakeholders to combat injustice.
More specifically, the forum aims to:
Share knowledge and experiences on how different stakeholders are working to prevent and respond to femicide and other forms of GBV.
Foster partnerships and collaborations among stakeholders to strengthen the collective response to femicide through the side-by-side movement and share lessons learned of how other stakeholders can support addressing GBV.
Share measures or programmes put in place at the local, national, and international levels that have worked in reducing GBV.
Share the GBV framework in the country, identify gaps and develop recommendations for coordinated, multi-sectoral efforts to effectively address femicide and other forms of GBV in Kenya