Kenyan police used teargas against protesters in the country’s capital city this week in response to demonstrations against femicide and violence against women.
The Protests in Kenya
Police in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi used force to break up demonstrators chanting “Stop femicide” during a rally in a public park on Tuesday. The peaceful gathering quickly escalated into violent clashes as protesters and officers engaged in running altercations through the city’s streets. Several demonstrators sustained injuries amid the confrontation.
Activist Mwikali Mueni told The Associated Press (AP) that she sustained a neck injury after being assaulted by uniformed police officers and was on her way to the hospital.
“It is very sad that I was injured while championing for women not to be injured or killed. If the president is serious about ending femicide, let him start by taking action on the officers who have brutalized us today,” Mueni said to the AP.
AP Photo/Brian Inganga/AP Photo/Brian Inganga
Gender-Based Violence in Kenya
Kenya is grappling with a silent epidemic of gender-based violence. In October, police reported that 97 women had been killed since August, the majority at the hands of their male partners.
On October 9, Kenya was one of several African nations elected to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Last month, Kenyan President William Ruto pledged over $700,000 to support a campaign aimed at ending femicide following discussions with elected female leaders.
A report from the United Nations (UN) released in November, coinciding with the launch of a separate 16-day global campaign, revealed that Africa had the highest rate of partner-related femicide in 2023.
Kenya has seen a wave of anti-femicide protests in recent weeks. On November 25, during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, police deployed teargas to disperse a small group of demonstrators who gathered despite harsh weather conditions.
Protesters Speak Out
The police crackdown on protesters during Human Rights Day on Tuesday drew sharp criticism from activists.
“Why are we being beaten and tear-gassed, yet we are peaceful? We will keep coming to the streets till the day women will stop being slaughtered like animals,” Mariam Chande, a Kenyan activist, told reporters.
Activists have raised concerns over law enforcement’s handling of femicide cases, pointing to the recent escape of a suspect who confessed to killing 42 women. The suspect’s confession came after authorities discovered dismembered bodies stuffed in plastic sacks and dumped in a flooded quarry.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
