Africa Daily Is Kenya tackling its problem with femicide?
Available for over a year
In January 2024, protests erupted across Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa as Kenyans demanded justice for women killed in a wave of femicides.
The government promised action, launching a 90 day task force to deliver recommendations to President William Ruto.
But that deadline has long passed and there's still no clear plan.
BBC Africa Daily's Mpho Lakaje speaks to feminist activist Editar Ochieng and policy expert Kavinya Makau to explore why progress has stalled, what's happening behind the scenes and their thoughts on whether Kenya is truly committed to ending femicide.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
Charlene Ruto: Kenyan author prosecuted for writing a book about president's daughter
Kenyan free-speech advocates and lawyers have condemned the prosecution of the author of an unauthorised biography of Kenyan President William Ruto's Ruto accused Webster Ochora Elijah of "misusing" her name by writing the book without first seeking permission from Tuesday, the author was arrested and charged with impersonation over the book titled Beyond the Name: Charlene Ruto and the Youth Uprising. He pleaded not guilty and was released on Ruto told journalists that she had reported the matter to the police and was following legal procedures. She is listed as the complainant on the charge sheet. The charge alleges that the accused published the book on or before 22 May, alongside others who are yet to be charged, with intention to president's daughter has not complained about the contents of the book, just that it was written without her critics say this is not and lawyer Willis Otieno said to "criminalise authorship" was misusing the "state machinery in defence of fragile egos".Literary critic Mbugua Ngunjiri said the author did "nothing wrong", giving an example of an unauthorised biography of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, in 2014, where the "author did not need to consult"."A million writers can write 'her book' and it will be perfectly legal. The only time Charlene would be justified to go after the author is if he misrepresented her in any way," he posted on president's daughter told journalists that there was a "bad culture" in Kenya "where we misuse people's names and we get away with it and that is not right". She said the author had not sought permission from her and it did not matter whether the book was "positive" about her."The gentleman never came to me with a suggestion that he wants to write a book on my behalf and for me that is a misappropriate use of my name," she book, by a little-known author, aged 25, has not been widely distributed and there is not much publicly available information about its legal team have argued that his work did not constitute a crime. Lawyer Kennedy Mong'are told local media that he had previously written books about public figures, including on veteran politician Raila Odinga and US President Donald lawyer, Evan Ondieki, said that high-ranking government figures should expect public scrutiny and that the arrest undermined Kenya's democratic values."You cannot be so thick-skinned that the use of your name or image becomes an offence," he April, a secondary school teacher was charged for impersonating another daughter of President Ruto, by pretending to be June Ruto on Facebook. The 'tax collector' president sparking Kenyan angerBBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protestersCharlene Ruto is a high-profile figure who has in the past been likened to a version of Ivanka Trump, daughter of the US has often been a guest at public events, and in the past met leaders across the country and attended international 2022, she denied that public money was being used to fund what she called the "Office of the First Daughter".The court case has amplified concerns about restrictions on free expression, particularly following the recent detention of software developer Rose was arrested on Friday for creating a tool that helped citizens oppose the government's annual finance was charged with cyber-crime and computer misuse on Tuesday and freed on bail until 20 June when the court will determine whether she will answer the has since thanked Kenyans for raising their voices against her "ludicrous" arrest and reporting by Laillah Mohammed You may also be interested in: Outrage in Kenya over detention of software developerWhy Kenya's president has so many nicknamesHistoric first as president takes on Kenya's online armyNew faces of protest - Kenya's Gen Z anti-tax revolutionaries Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
BBC News
02-06-2025
- BBC News
Rose Njeri: Kenyan software developer's detention sparks outrage
Kenyans have expressed outrage over the detention of a software developer who created a tool to help people oppose the government's annual finance bill because of fears that it will raise the cost of Njeri was detained on Friday after police raided her home in the capital, Nairobi, and seized electronic devises, activists said. Police and the government have not yet commented on the detention of the mother of protests broke out last year after the government proposed tax hikes, forcing President William Ruto to withdraw the 2024 finance bill. The bill outlines the government's spending priorities for the next financial year, and how it intends to raise least 50 people were killed and dozens were abducted in a security force crackdown to end the protests that broke out last Society of Kenya (LSK) president Faith Odhiambo told the BBC Newsday radio programme that Ms Njeri's detention was a "recurrence of dictatorship".The 'tax collector' president sparking Kenyan angerBBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protestersOn Sunday, a group of activists gathered outside a police station in Nairobi, where the software developer is being held, to demand her release. Ms Odhiambo said that Ms Njeri - whom activists visited in prison - was "crestfallen" because with Monday being a public holiday, she had not yet been brought to to get her released on bail had failed, she added. "This has always been a government way of oppressing, intimidating and suppressing citizens because they know the courts don't sit over the weekend – and now we have a public holiday," Ms Odhiambo said. Boniface Mwangi, one of the activists who had visited Ms Njeri in custody, said she told them that police had ransacked her house and taken her phone, laptop and hard said she was worried about her two children."Imagine having to tell her children that she's in jail for developing a website that eases public participation for Kenyans who want to submit their proposals on the 2025 budget," he said on Njeri was detained after sharing a link to a site that flagged clauses in the bill that she said would lead to the cost of living escalating. It also allowed people to email parliament, calling for the bill to be also raised concern that a proposal to amend tax procedures, allowing the tax authority to access personal data without a court order, could undermine privacy rights. The new finance bill replaces the zero-rated tax provision on essential commodities with tax-exempt status. Zero-rated goods are taxed at 0%, and suppliers do not charge value-added tax (VAT) to customers but can still claim input VAT on the materials used in producing these goods. Tax-exempted goods are also not subject to VAT but suppliers cannot claim back input VAT, leading to higher prices for consumers or reduced profit margins for businesses, economists and activists minister John Mbadi recently admitted that tax-exempt goods may be "slightly more expensive" but explained that the move was necessary to close tax said the government had determined that traders do not pass the zero-rating benefit to consumers, while some make "fictitious and fake" claims for is scheduled to present the government's spending and tax proposals in parliament next week, Ruto apologised to Kenyan youth for "any misstep" in dealing with them since he took office in 2022. Last month, he said that all the people who had been abducted after last year's protests against tax hikes had been "returned to their families". You may also be interested in: How Kenya's evangelical president has fallen out with churchesKenyan president's humbling shows power of African youthProtesters set fire to Kenya's parliament - but also saved two MPsMourning mother's anger at Kenyan migrant smugglers Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
The Independent
29-05-2025
- The Independent
Kenyans mourn African literature giant Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
In a bookstore in Kenya's capital, the proprietor arranged a shelf exclusively carrying books by Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, who died Wednesday in the United States. Bennet Mbata, who has sold African literature at the Nuria Bookstore for more than 30 years in the capital, Nairobi, said he enjoyed reading Ngũgĩ's writing and is sad 'he'll never write again.' Kenya President William Ruto on Thursday paid tribute to the man he called 'the towering giant of Kenyan letters,' saying Ngũgĩ's courage shaped thoughts around social justice and abuse of political power. 'His patriotism is undeniable, and even those who disagree with him will admit that Prof Thiong'o's discourse always sprang forth from a deep and earnest quest for truth and understanding, devoid of malice, hatred or contempt,' Ruto wrote on X. Following Ngũgĩ's death at 87 in Bedford, Georgia, Kenyans are reminiscing about the days his literature criticized an autocratic administration, which led to his arrest and imprisonment in the 1970s. Macharia Munene, a professor of history and international relations at United States International University-Africa in Nairobi, told The Associated Press on Thursday that Ngũgĩ's writing was 'hard hitting' but also a 'true reflection of society.' Munene said he regrets Thiong'o didn't receive the Nobel Prize for Literature despite several nominations. Munene described the author as one of the few African writers whose writing was different. 'He wrote English like an African, another gift that very few people have,' Munene said, noting that Ngũgĩ later transitioned to only writing in his native Kikuyu language. Munene urged current writers to be 'true to themselves' and write from their hearts, but cautioned there may be some 'hard consequences like was the case for Ngũgĩ.' Ngũgĩ lived in exile for decades and escaped attempted assassination twice following his criticism of President Daniel Moi's administration in the 1970s and 1980s. Current Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga sent condolences to the author's family, saying 'a giant African has fallen.' The author's son and fellow writer, Mukoma Wa Ngũgĩ, posted a tribute on X: 'I am me because of him in so many ways, as his child, scholar and writer.' At Ngũgĩ's Kenyan home in Kamirithu, in Kiambu county in the outskirts of Nairobi, workers were seen trimming fences and clearing bushes in preparation for mourners and visitors alike. Fellow Kenyan writer David Maillu, 85, told the AP that Ngũgĩ 'touched the hearts of the people' by writing about the 'cultural destruction' that took place during colonization. Born in 1938, Ngũgĩ's first books told the story of British colonial rule and the uprising by Mau Mau freedom fighters. Since the 1970s, Ngũgĩ' mostly lived in exile overseas, emigrating to England and eventually settling in California, where he was a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.
