Sex Workers In Kenya Call For Demonstrations Over Rising Femicide Cases

The Kenya Sex Workers Alliance (KESWA) revealed its plans to organize countrywide demonstrations to protest the recent rise in femicide cases. KESWA National Coordinator Phelister Abdalka confirmed the upcoming demonstrations and emphasized their role in raising awareness about the increasing femicide cases. Phelister notes that the protests would involve a huge number of women addressing the recent killings as a pertinent issue affecting a variety of women. Abdalla noted that the demonstrations would push the government to provide security for sex workers.

The call for protests at Jevanjee Gardens from January 27 comes in the wake of the recent femicide cases. The recent murder of a 20-year-old Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) student, Rita Waeni, sparked outrage on social media. Rita Waeni was allegedly lured to her death by a foreigner. Her body was found in an Airbnb room in Roysambu, Nairobi, on January 15. Before her gruesome murder, the lifeless body of a popular Instagram model, Starlet Wahu was found at an apartment in South B Estate, Nairobi on January 6th this year.

The suspects linked to these murders have been arrested as investigations to uncover more details continue. Right groups in the country are calling on the government to investigate the cases of femicide. Femicide Count Kenya is an NGO that documents the number of women killed nationwide all year round.