Violence and killings of women and girls have dominated Kenya’s security reports this year, with more than 7,100 cases of gender-based violence since September 2023. That number includes 100 documented cases of murder against women since August 2024.
Sarah Wambui said that one morning her husband of 20 years attacked her.
“He attacked me on January 18, 2024,” she said. “He attacked me with a knife all over my body – 38 hits on my face, the entire body, even my internal organs, my kidneys and liver were affected. I am in the hospital. “I was discharged in August.”
Speaking last week, Foreign Affairs Minister and Acting Interior Minister Musalia Mudavadi said the number of incidents of sexual and gender-based violence against women, or SGBV, concerned security officials.
“Nairobi County recorded the highest number of SGBV cases, while Samburu and Mandera Counties had the lowest incidence,” Mudavadi said. “There were 100 murders of women from August to November 2024. As of now, the Directorate of Criminal Investigation has completed investigations on these, and most are pending before the court.”
Two weeks ago, hundreds of people took to the streets in Kenya demanding an end to the killings of women. Police dispersed the protest by using tear gas and making arrests.
Protesters, human rights groups and women’s organizations were angered by the police response. She accused the authorities of not taking attacks and murders on women seriously.
Wambui’s accused attacker is out of jail and is threatening to kill him, he said. The mother of two children is moving from one place to another to avoid him.
“Right now, my life is in danger,” he said. “The criminal is out, and he has sworn that he will finish me off, and the matter will be closed. So I’m actually in hiding.
Human rights researchers say patriarchal ideas and lack of security are some of the reasons behind attacks on women and girls.
Human rights defender Njoki Gachanja said the number of women abused may be higher than reported.
“The majority of those numbers come from low-income areas where there is a lot of poverty and which are associated with a lot of violence. So, these numbers may seem shocking to those who are documenting these cases on a daily basis. Are.” “We know there are more people who are not covered by the headline-makers, and this is a disaster that the government must address,” Gachanja said.
According to the Gender Violence Recovery Centre, one in three Kenyan women has experienced sexual violence before the age of 18, and 38% of married women have experienced physical violence.
The government has formed a security team to deal with attacks on women and ensure justice for the victims.
