As hundreds of protesters stormed the streets against a wave of femicides in Kenya, Kenyan police reacted by firing teargas and arresting at least three people on Tuesday, according to a Reuters reporter and human rights activists said.
Several hundred people – majority of whom were women – marched in the capital Nairobi, where they blew whistles and chanted, “Stop killing women!”
Their demonstration was repeatedly dispersed by police officers firing teargas from moving vehicles before regrouping over again.
Going by the videos posted on social media, the protests had taken place in the cities of Mombasa and Lodwar.
The protesters in Nairobi had been peaceful according to reports, therefore the police intervention was ‘uncalled for.
Among those arrested was Irungu Houghton, the executive director of Amnesty International Kenya, according to Amnesty’s joint statement with three other organisations.
The statement read thus;
“This protest was a courageous stand against the killing of women, a demand for urgency in investigating these murders and a call for perpetrators to be held accountable.”
“The violent response by police … is a direct attack on Kenya’s democratic principles and the human rights of its citizens.”
From August to October, an estimated 97 women in Kenya were killed in femicides according to the National Police Service.
While the police had not provided statistics for earlier periods, the figures compiled by the Africa Data Hub collective based on media reports, there were at least 75 recorded femicides in 2022 and 46 the year before.
Researchers have said that patriarchal views and inadequate legal protections are the key factors behind Kenya’s high levels of gender-based violence,
The authorities have defended the police response but said investigators were looking into fixed claims of misconduct.
