The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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The Cabinet has approved the creation of a presidential taskforce to develop a comprehensive strategy for addressing femicide.
The taskforce will collaborate with religious leaders, parents, schools, security agencies, and other relevant parties to identify gaps in legislation, enforcement, and social values contributing to the crisis.
The group will be officially gazetted with specific mandates and is expected to provide actionable recommendations within 90 days.
President William Ruto presided over the final Cabinet meeting of the year.
Recently, Kenya has witnessed a rise in femicide cases, prompting calls from citizens, leaders, and civil society for urgent action to address the issue.
In November, President Ruto urged security agencies to tackle the troubling increase in femicide. He expressed concern about the cold-blooded murders of women and girls, stating, “We have seen incidents of our girls, our mothers, our women being murdered in cold blood.”
Ruto also emphasized the need for the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and other authorities to take firm action against these criminals. He called for societal vigilance, advising people to be cautious of strangers who lure women and girls into dangerous situations.
The Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (Fida) condemned the alarming rise in femicide. Fida’s head of communications, Mark Owuor, described the surge as both heartbreaking and disturbing, calling it a gross violation of women’s constitutional rights to life, safety, and security.
Fida-Kenya recently issued a statement urging the government to take action on the increasing femicide cases. The National Police Service, Gender PS, DCI, and President have all acknowledged the issue.
Fida has called for the allocation of resources to investigate and prosecute those responsible for femicide, insisting that the crisis be treated as a national emergency requiring immediate and coordinated interventions to safeguard the rights and security of women and girls in Kenya.
