Kenya femicide: Hundreds protest at violence against women

Demonstrations are taking place across major cities in Kenya to protest against the rising cases of femicide and other violence against women.

Hundreds have gathered, some carrying placards with the names of those who were killed.

Many chanted "Sisi ni watu sio wanyama" in Swahili - meaning "stop killing us".

Others carried banners saying "only weak men kill women" and "every time you blame the victim you affirm the murderer".

Femicide is defined as intentionally killing a woman or girl because they are female.

Amnesty International says more than 500 cases of femicide were recorded in Kenya between the years 2016 and 2023.

Many of the victims were killed by intimate partners or people known to them.

Campaigners want the authorities to expedite justice for all recent victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

Dozens of local rights groups say the government must declare femicide a national emergency and class femicide as a specific crime, distinct from murder.

A government survey in 2022 found that at least one in three Kenyan women had experienced physical violence at some point in their lives.