- Mombasa Woman Rep Zamzam Mohamed condemned the killings saying women have been oppressed for a long time and it time the law takes its place and women respected.
- "We all know that women are being killed and we are condemning this with one voice, we are saying a woman has a right to be alive, free and to be respected," she said.
Image: RUTH AURA
Women from Mombasa county and leaders of different organisations have called upon the national government to come up with laws and policies to end femicide.
Speaking during a peaceful march against femicide in Mombasa, Kenya Ujamaa Centre project manager Grace Oloo said there is a need for the government to put up support systems where if a person becomes a victim, there is a place they can get psychosocial support.
"We do not want to lose more lives in ways which we do not understand, what we want is laws that will keenly be followed and implemented accordingly," Oloo said.
She said there is a need to educate the community for them to know gender based violence is not allowed and that everybody has a role to play to ensure every person is safe.
Daya Atieno, human rights defender from Initiative for Equality and Non-discrimination said that femicide is not just about the numbers but laws that will help fight it.
"We want the government to put laws and policies that can curb the crisis we are seeing today, we are also calling upon media to put up stories not just sensationalising the stories but put a face to their names, let us call out the perpetrators because femicide must end today," Atieno said.
She said it's high time for government agencies and organisations to have documented data and tools which leave no one behind.
Atieno said they are not just protesting on the streets but they will continue to have conversation both online and offline to end what is happening.
Salma Hemed, human rights activist said that from December to date, Coast region has recorded a total number of not less than 16 cases.
"We are so saddened with what is happening where women are being killed. The statistics are high, we have seen recent trends where women are being killed and their body organs chopped off without any mercy," Hemed said.
She called upon the political leaders especially women to come out and help raise voices against femicide.
"Our political leaders including women leaders have not come out to talk about this situation, what is preventing them? We are saying no to femicide, we want to mention their names, we do not want to continue counting numbers. This is enough, we have heard enough of this," she said.
Maureen Magak, HRD from Lend a voice Africa said women are no longer safe yet they have a right to live.
"We want the government to prioritise femicide and gender bases violence as a key crisis and an emergency that need immediate response. We want the government to put up a commission, a national plan of action to see the end of femicide and GBV," Magak said.
"This is not a song, these are lives of people and women that is why we want the government to take women's lives seriously."
Edwin Samir also a human rights defender that whatever is happening concerns everyone and if a woman is not in the house then a man is also not in the house therefore they demand for action from the government because they cannot sit back when women are being killed.
"These are the same women who gave birth to our leaders, so they need to come out very clear and send a warning to these perpetrators. We are saying no to femicide because if you kill a woman, you kill a man," he said.
He said that they will continue calling out the perpetrators' names.
"The perpetrators are not men because real men cannot kill a woman. A woman has her own dignity therefore we want to tell men involved that wherever you are, we will catch up with you and you will face the full power of the law," Samir said.
Mombasa Woman Rep Zamzam Mohamed condemned the killings saying women have been oppressed for a long time and it time the law takes its place and women respected.
"We all know that women are being killed and we are condemning this with one voice, we are saying a woman has a right to be alive, free and to be respected," she said.
"We must end killings of our women and girls, we condemn this with every term and to the killers, shame on you."
She said that as women, they can not sit back and watch their fellow women being killed everywhere saying that she will take a motion in the Parliament to protect women.