A section of MPs now want the government to declare the current cases of femicide a national disaster, days after police discovered the body of a female presenter who works for one of the local stations in her boyfriend’s house.
The victim, Lilian Achieng Aluko, is suspected to have been murdered by her boyfriend on Friday. The suspect has since vanished but the police have launched a manhunt for him.
Lillian had informed her family on Thursday that she would be spending the night at her boyfriend’s place only to be found murdered. The 33-year-old was then found dead at her boyfriend’s house with injuries on her face and a stab wound in the back.
The police in their report, said that Lilian had visible facial injuries and a stab wound behind her right ear.
Simplistic approach
This latest murder happened on the day parliamentarians called on the government, saying it is high time they moved with speed to deal with the cases of femicide.
Addressing a news conference in Parliament, the lawmakers told President William Ruto to intervene and direct the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to launch investigations into the murders.
Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia and the Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia said it is unacceptable that in the current century people are still living in fear. Kaguchia in particular regretted that in his own constituency, seven women have been murdered in the last six months.
“The cases are 100 per cent murder cases where a woman is lured and killed. We are saying this matter should have been declared a national disaster a long time ago so that we can ensure that all our resources are deployed in this sector,” he said.
He told off those who had reduced these cases to the issue of money just because it touches on women, calling it simplistic, and told the government to instead deploy Artificial Intelligence (A.I) like it has done in politics to deal with the said cases.
His Kipipiri counterpart regretted that women are currently living in fear following the increased murder cases. While calling for the matter to be declared a national disaster, she said there is need for police to take action and end the said cases.
“It is sad that women are living in fear, they cannot even send their teenagers to the shops, even when they go to church as a parent you are worried. We need to see the end of this. This is a very serious matter that should have been declared a national disaster a long time ago,” she said.
Big problem
The sentiments by the duo come just a day after the president voiced in his concern and condemned the increased cases of femicide cases, and calling for concerted efforts to deal with the menace that has been rising on a daily basis.
The National Police Service (NPS) is on record saying that at least 97 women have been killed in the last three months.
“It is true that we have a big problem. Our young people, especially girls, are being killed arbitrarily, instead of showing them love, it has now turned into killing them. How can it be that our girls, women of Kenya, expect us to love them but now they are dying in the hands of men?” Ruto asked, when he attended Sunday service at the African Divine Church in Nairobi.
