By Eddah Waithaka
In a powerful display of solidarity, young women and female university student leaders from the Agnes Kagure Foundation gathered today to voice their profound outrage over the alarming rise in gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide across the nation.
This comes after the several women and young girls have in recent days gone missing across the country and turned up dead with their bodies dumped.
Recent incidents include the murder of three family members. Their bodies were dumped at different locations.
Dahabo Daud Said, 38, Amina Abdirashid Dahir, 22 and Nusayba Abdi Mohammed, 13 were stabbed and killed after they went missing the previous night from their house in Eastleigh estate, Nairobi.
Police said the bodies of Nusayba, Amina and Dahabo were found at Bahati in Makadara, 6th Avenue Parklands and Khyumbi in Machakos respectively, with Dahabo’s hands chopped off.
Also on October 14, the body of 23-year-old Seth Nyakio Njeri was found in her boyfriend’s house in Thika.
Speaking at a press briefing in Nairobi, the female university student leaders stressed that the alarming increase in incidents against women and girls is a matter of national urgency that can no longer be met with silence or inaction.
“Every day, women in Kenya face the threat of violence, abuse, and even death at the hands of those who should protect them. We are losing sisters, mothers, and friends to senseless acts of brutality that have no place in a just and compassionate society. We are appalled by the normalization of violence against women and girls, and we refuse to accept it as a norm, ” highlighted one of the student leaders.
“As young women striving to empower ourselves and our communities through the programs and support offered by the Agnes Kagure Foundation, we have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of education, mentorship, and economic empowerment. However, the persistent rise in gender-based violence and femicide threatens to undo all the progress we are making. It disrupts our efforts to uplift women and denies us the opportunity to reach our full potential.
The fear and trauma caused by these acts of violence create barriers that keep women from participating fully in economic and social opportunities,” added the ladies.
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GBV and femicide not only end lives but also shatter the confidence and courage of survivors, hindering their ability to thrive and benefit from our empowerment
programs. The work of empowering women becomes an uphill battle when their safety and dignity are under constant threat.
The student leaders are therefore calling upon leaders, policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and the community at large to take decisive action to end this crisis.
Another of the measures called for is to ensure that perpetrators of GBV and femicide face swift and severe consequences for their actions.
