Church, government team up against femicide in Kenya

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Catholic churches in Kenya and the government of President William Ruto have joined in the fight against femicide – the killing of women and girls with gender-related motivations.

Experts have clarified that the term includes various forms of violence against women, such as domestic violence, rape, honor killings, and dowry-related deaths. These acts are fueled by entrenched beliefs and cultural norms that sustain gender inequality and promote toxic masculinity.

In a November 21 statement shared with Crux, Bishop Simon Peter Kamomoe – one of the two auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Nairobi – called on Christians to protect the lives of girls and women in the face of rising cases of femicide.

“In recent months, Kenya has witnessed a troubling pattern of women losing their lives in gruesome murders and under unclear circumstances,” the bishop said.

One of the most egregious cases that caught global attention was the murder of Ugandan athlete and Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei.

She was set on fire in September by Dickson Ndiema in Eldoret, Kenya. Cheptegei wasn’t the first female athlete to be killed in Kenya. In 2021, Agnes Tirop, an Olympic runner, was stabbed to death in her home in Iten. In 2022, Damaris Mutua was found strangled, also in Iten. Her boyfriend was accused of killing her.

The epidemic of femicide in Kenya is alarming: Every week, 47 women on average are killed in Kenya, according to a 2020 report by the World Health Organization. Shockingly, this represents a 50 percent increase in femicide cases over the past decade.

According to Africa Data Hub, over 500 women were killed in Kenya between January 2016 and December 2023. And Femicide Count, a Kenyan organization, recorded 152 cases of femicide in 2023 based on media reports.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat stated on October 30 that 97 women had been killed in Kenya over the past three months and noted that 90 percent of the suspects had been apprehended.

“Such acts are not only a grave violation of human rights but also a deeply concerning trend that warrants urgent attention,” Bishop Kamomoe said.

President William Ruto acknowledged the scale of the problem, saying on November 20 that most of the cases are linked to intimate partner violence.

“We know that every four out of five women killed in Kenya is out of intimate partner violence, which means that our women are being killed in spaces they consider safe,” the president said.

“We must increase awareness on the availability of safe spaces where victims can seek refuge,” he added, before pledging to allocate $778,000 to support the 16-day “Safe Home, Safe Space Campaign,” which aims to end gender-based violence (GBV) and investigate cases of femicide nationwide.

The president urged parents to “be present and available” for their children.

“Let us create homes where children feel safe, supported and loved,” said Ruto, who is also a father of four daughters.

“It is time for each of us, political leaders, and public officers, religious leaders, to do our part in raising boys into morally upright men who will never need to affirm their masculinity at the expense of women. But instead contribute to making our society just, safe, equal and inclusive,” Ruto said.

Kamomoe said the Church was not oblivious of the substantive effort made by the government to stem the tide of femicide in Kenya, and promised that the Nairobi archdiocese will continue to work collaboratively with the country’s State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action to address the scourge.

“While we support the government in its efforts to address this menace, we, the Archdiocese of Nairobi, in collaboration with the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action, call upon all Christians and people of goodwill to act as our sister’s keeper,” the bishop said.

“Our society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. Our sisters and mothers, who are among the most vulnerable, require our protection and deserve to feel safe rather than live in fear for their lives,” he said.

“Taking personal responsibility to be ‘my sister’s keeper’ is a vital step in ensuring that the women around us – be they spouses, colleagues, family members, or friends – feel secure,” he explained.

“Together, we can work to end gender-based violence and femicide in our society,” the bishop concluded.