In Kenya today, being a woman is a risk. That’s not just a sentiment, it’s a fact backed by devastating statistics and daily headlines. Femicide, the killing of women and girls because of their gender, has become an epidemic. It is not enough to be outraged on social media or to organize vigils after the fact. Kenya is in crisis, and it’s time we treated femicide for what it is: a national disaster.
In 2024, Kenya recorded the highest number of femicides in recent memory with 170 women killed, the majority aged between 18 and 35. Many of these killings were at the hands of intimate partners or people known to the victims. That is 170 lives violently cut short. 170 families thrown into grief. 170 futures stolen. This is not random violence. It’s systemic, it’s brazen, and it’s getting worse.
Civil society organizations have been ringing the alarm bells for years. One of the most vocal has been Usikimye, an organization working on the frontlines of gender-based violence. They’ve now taken a bold step by petitioning Parliament to officially declare femicide a crime. Their message is clear: until we name the crisis, we cannot begin to solve it.
Declaring femicide a crime would mean more than symbolic recognition. It would unlock emergency funding, prioritize GBV cases in the justice system, strengthen survivor support services, and demand accountability from every level of government. It would say, “We see what’s happening, and we refuse to look away.”
The government has taken some steps, including the formation of a 42-member task force to address femicide, but these steps must translate into visible change: more shelters, faster prosecutions, better policing, stronger education and prevention programs, and sustained support for women and girls at risk.
We cannot normalize this violence. We cannot wait until it hits our own homes to care. At this point, declaring femicide a crime is not just a policy move, it’s a moral imperative. Kenyan women deserve to live. Not in fear, not in silence, but in safety and dignity.
Join the call to action. Sign the petition. Raise your voice. Demand justice. Because enough is enough.Zeda stands with Usikimye and all organizations and individuals demanding an end to gender-based violence in Kenya. Femicide is not a private issue, it is a public emergency and must be met with the seriousness it deserves.
