The National Police Service (NPS) has revealed that at least 97 women have been killed in the last three months but said that they were all not gender-based.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Eliud Kipkoech Lagat has expressed serious concern over the alarming rise in femicide cases nationwide and has committed to fully investigating each reported case, adding that at least 90 percent of the suspects in the incidents had been apprehended.
“In the last three months alone, the country has reported 97 femicide cases. This troubling trend underscores the urgent need for coordinated action and collaboration to address the pervasive issue of gender-based violence,” Lang’at said.
He said the killings highlighted a troubling increase in both murder and manslaughter cases over the last two years.
“This troubling trend highlights the urgent need for focused actions and collaboration to tackle the widespread problem of gender-based violence in our society,” he said.
He cited the murder of Marybell Amankor Kapolong in Imenti North in 2018. Another significant case, he said, was that of Monica Nyawira in 2018 in Kilimani, where the accused, Jowie Irungu, was sentenced to life imprisonment.
He also mentioned that of Sheilah Adhiambo Lumumba, was killed in Nyeri in 2022, where the main suspect was jailed for 30 years.
“These cases underscore NPS’ unwavering commitment to delivering justice to victims and communities affected by violent crime,” he said.
Lang’at, who was flanked by his counterpart Gilbert Masengeli, Gender Principal Secretary Anne Wangombe and DCI boss Mohamed Amin, also appealed for information that would lead to the re-arrest of Collins Jumaisi Khalusha.
Jumaisi, the prime suspect in the Kware murders, has escaped from police custody.
On Tuesday, a coalition of prominent human rights organizations and advocacy groups in Kenya issued a joint statement urging President William Ruto to officially declare femicide a national crisis and disaster.
Citing a troubling rise in brutal murders of women and girls, the coalition calls for an immediate, coordinated government response to address the systemic violence women face nationwide.
The coalition highlighted recent cases including the murders of Starlet Wahu and Rita Waeni, the discovery of six women’s bodies in Kware, Embakasi – linked to a prime suspect, Collins Jumaisi, who remains at large – and the recent death of Yvonne Jirangwa, a 23-year-old trainee nun whose body was found in a sewer pit in Rongo.
The coalition, comprising FIDA-Kenya, Siasa Place and the Centre for Community Development and Human Rights, expressed sadness and outrage at what they described as a failure to protect women’s constitutional rights, including the right to life, safety and security.
“President Ruto must address the nation and make a clear and unwavering commitment to the safety of women and girls,” the statement said. “He should officially declare femicide a national crisis and assure the public that this government is actively working to protect women and girls.”
The coalition also called on the president to direct the National Police Service to release a comprehensive update on investigations into these killings within 14 days. In 2024 alone, FIDA-Kenya documented at least 30 cases of women killed by intimate partners in acts of domestic violence and femicide.
FIDA-Kenya’s Chairperson, Christine Kungu, issued a 30-day ultimatum for concrete government action, warning of a potential national protest if demands are unmet. “We will consider mobilizing a nationwide protest to demand our right to safety and justice,” Kungu stated, adding that femicide cannot become a normalized occurrence in Kenya.
The coalition also urged Parliament and the Judiciary to support legislative amendments that would classify femicide as a standalone crime under the Penal Code, ensuring that gender-based crimes are met with fitting legal consequences.
