We are still waiting on Ruto to speak about femicide - Amnesty Executive Director Irungu

Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton has called on President William Ruto to address the femicide challenge in Kenya.

In a panel discussion on Citizen TV, Irungu argued that President Ruto’s statement on femicide would have a huge impact since he holds the highest position in the republic.

"We are yet to see the President speak out on the issue on femicide. That would send a message to the country from the highest level of the republic that this is unacceptable," said Irungu

The Amnesty director also noted that Kenya is still far from achieving gender equality according to the latest report from the Gender Equality Commission, which showed the disparity.

He highlighted issues such as disinformation, online attack on women and hate crimes as some of the setbacks in achieving gender equality in Kenya.

Irungu called on independent offices in Kenya and the executive to do more to tackle the menace.

Thousands of women held peaceful protests on January 27, 2024 across several counties standing in solidarity against the surging femicide cases in Kenya. The demonstrations were organized by different organizations.

These demos followed cases of brutal killing of women including the murder of university student Rita Waeni and socialite Starlet Wahu.

Harriet Chigai, the President's Advisor on Women's Rights joined leaders in condemning surge in femicide cases.

She called for sensitivity when talking about the cases, while condemning the shaming of victims online. She encouraged the provision of safe spaces for victims to come forward and report gender-based violence cases.

"Women's rights are human rights, murder should not be justified," Harriet said.