Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu has proposed an amendment to deny bail access to femicide perpetrators.
In an undated video shared via her X account on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, Nyamu said that if the perpetrator is granted bail, he will be capable of committing the same offence since they can afford to pay the bail.
She further urged her fellow senators to rally behind her and support the proposed amendment.
“Nimependekeza amendment ya kisheria tunajua katiba inapatia kila mtu yeyote ambaye ameshtakiwa ruhusa ama haki ya kuwa na bail. Mimi napendekeza wakati umeshtakiwa na femicide iyo haki yako yakupata bail kwanza inaondolewa kama ni femicide. Hakuna option yoyote yakutoa bail ama surity ili kesi yako iendele ukiwa nje kwa sababu huyu ni mwalifu ambaye ameuwa wanawake anakuja kortini unamwambia alipe elfu mia moja, analipa na anarudi kufanya ulel ukatili kwa sababu ako na experience,” she stated.
Victim blaming
In addition, Nyamu, who was nominated by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party to champion the rights of women, stated that shifting blame to the victims weakens the case, adding that some victims may shun away from reporting the incidents, making the perpetrators walk freely.
“Wakati unaweka blame kwa victim, unamuondoa muuwaji katika iyo blame na makosa inashift inaenda kwa victim na iyo ndi kitu sisi kama jamii tumekuwa tukifanya makosa,” she added.
I have proposed an amendment to deny bail access to perpetrators of femicide pic.twitter.com/Aw5nAG0wmu
— Karen Nyamu (@karennyamunbo) November 26, 2024
16 days of activism
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, in a statement issued on Monday, November 25, 2024, directed that all suspects reported to police stations for gender-based violence be subjected to the full force of the law.
In addition, he condemned the rising cases of femicide in the country and across the world.
“As we mark the beginning of the ’16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence,’ I stand united with the global community in condemning, in the strongest terms, any form of violence against women and girls both in Kenya and around the world,” the statement reads in part.
Mudavadi pointed out that 150 known femicide cases had been recorded in Kenya in 2023 alone.
He stated that the figures demand immediate, decisive action to end the crisis.
“The statistics are heartbreaking. Globally, a woman loses her life every 10 minutes. Here in Kenya, Femicide Count Kenya recorded 150 known femicides in 2023 alone. These figures are not just numbers; they represent lives tragically cut short, and they demand immediate, decisive action to end this crisis. The time to act against gender-based violence is now,” Mudavadi stated.
