Vihiga: Some NGOs in the country have raised concern over the rising cases of femicide and asked the government to step up efforts to contain the worrying trend. Consequently, the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA), Federal of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA), the Law Society of Kenya, and all women’s rights organizations have come together to highly condemn the rising cases of femicide, brutality, killings, and rape of women and young girls in the country. Speaking to the press in Vihiga sub-county, Tom Onzere from Uzalendo group condemned the brutal murders they had encountered in the area and condemned femicide cases that are on the high rise.
According to Kenya News Agency, Onzere noted that FIDA has reports indicating that in every 70 murder cases reported weekly in their offices, 35 of them are women who have been killed as a result of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). He underscored the need for femicide sensitization to reduce rampant murder cases in the county.
On his part, Robert Ouko, who is a lawyer and works with The Institute of Social Accountability (TISA) Kenya, called for the government to implement a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) fund for supporting the affected ones and their families to be catered for. He added that he is grateful the county government of Vihiga has opened a GBV center to address and reduce the murder cases, to educate the public, and to counsel the victims.
Violet Mugea, a resident from Vihiga sub-county, condemned the rising brutality women were facing and demanded justice. She highlighted a case from April 2026, where an Mpesa lady from Luanda was killed while on her daily routine, and her family has not yet received justice. Mugea emphasized that many women and young girls in Vihiga County are succumbing to death mainly as a result of femicide, rape, and violence.
In Vihiga County, a children’s assembly was formed to voice out their concerns and participate in local governance. Mugea called on them to seek justice for the Masana Comprehensive school pupil who was brutally murdered. James Nyabera from Tambua Social Justice Center called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate the killings and deaths of young women and ensure the perpetrators face the law. He urged all security departments in Vihiga County to ensure every citizen is living freely and to curb the insecurity cases.
