Rights groups give government 40-day ultimatum over femicide crisis

Civil society organisations and legal groups have given the government a 40-day ultimatum to act on rising cases of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide.

They warned that failure to implement key recommendations will trigger nationwide protests and legal action.

Speaking during a joint press conference in Nairobi on Wednesday, Christine Kungu, Board Chairperson of the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA Kenya), said the country was facing a crisis that could no longer be ignored.

“Femicide and violence against women and girls in Kenya has reached a crisis level and requires immediate national interventions,” she said.

“We cannot stand by and watch as women and girls continue to suffer such violence.”

Kungu cited recent cases, including the killing of Multimedia University student Sylvia Kemuto, who was found dead in a water tank after allegedly being strangled.

She also referenced the death of 21-year-old Rose Benta Apondi, a student at Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology, who was allegedly murdered by her ex-boyfriend in a revenge attack.

Kungu further mentioned gospel musician Rachel Wandeto, who died earlier this week after attackers allegedly doused her with petrol and set her on fire.

“We are sharing these stories to represent the many women and girls in Kenya who have been victims of femicide,” she said.

The organisations accused the government of failing to act despite the release of the Technical Working Group report on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, launched in January this year.

Teresia Wavinya Nicholas, Vice Chairperson of the Law Society of Kenya, said the report already contains recommendations, timelines, and responsible state agencies, yet little has been done.

“We are still looking forward to even the state agencies implementing just one of those recommendations,” she said.

“So indeed we are here to say it is a good idea to establish a taskforce but what happens after that? Do we just wait for the report to be established and read, and then nothing is done after that?”

Wavinya warned that continued inaction would push the organisations to escalate their demands.

“We are going to go to the streets,” she said. “We are going to have a countrywide protest.”

According to reports from Amnesty International Kenya, at least eight femicide cases are reported every week in Kenya, translating to nearly one woman or girl killed every day.

“At FIDA Kenya, 35 out of 70 weekly cases reported in 2026 across our three offices are directly linked to physical and sexual gender-based violence by intimate partners,” said Angela Mwadumbo, Board Secretary at FIDA Kenya.

Mwadumbo added that women aged between 18 and 35 account for 59 per cent of femicide cases nationally, with many victims being university students.

She noted that most perpetrators are intimate partners or family members and that many victims had previously reported abuse before they were killed.

“In most cases, victims had already reported abuse, shared their fears or asked for help from family, police or community leaders, but were ignored,” she said.

The organisations issued six demands to the government, including declaring GBV and femicide a national crisis, providing a public status report on the implementation of recommendations made by the Technical Working Group, and establishing and operationalising a national GBV fund to support prevention and survivors.

They also demanded rapid response and survivor support systems, a nationwide anti-GBV and femicide awareness campaign, and accountability from the National Police Service in handling such cases.

Wazi Maina, student leader at the University of Nairobi, said many femicide cases involving young women were driven by intimate partner violence and an inability to deal with rejection or separation.

“It is driven by people who are very intentional about taking away the lives of young people,” she said.

“The action that we are going to take is not going to be light. It is going to be a national action, and it is going to be loud and intentional.”

Colines Muyeku, Director of the Daystar Legal Aid Society, said the country urgently needs one-stop GBV response centres in counties with high prevalence rates.

“These centres should offer rescue services, shelters, rehabilitation homes, medical and forensic support, legal aid, and social support,” he said.

Sharon Adhiambo, a Council Member at the Law Society of Kenya, said failure to act within 40 days would trigger peaceful demonstrations across the country involving grassroots women, civil society groups, partner organisations, and other Kenyans.

She added that the organisations would also file a Strategic Interest Litigation to compel the state to fulfil its legal obligation to prevent, investigate, and punish violence against women and girls.

The groups further pointed to institutional failures that continue to expose women to danger.

Wavinya accused some police officers of dismissing domestic violence complaints as ‘marital matters’, forcing victims to return home without assistance.

“The failure is on our faces,” she said. “It is stamped, certified, and verified by the government.”

Njeri Migwi, founder of Usikimye, also criticised narratives that blame victims for their deaths, especially in cases involving young women.

“Airbnbs don’t kill young women. People do,” she said. “The blame for the killing should lie on the perpetrator." 

The organisations now say they will continue piling pressure on the government until concrete action is taken.

“Every delay means another tragedy that could have been avoided,” said Robert Waweru of the Kenya Human Rights Commission.