Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has regretted the actions of the police against anti-femicide protestors on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.
Speaking to Citizen TV on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, Omolle termed the use of force by the police against the protectors as “regrettable and something that should not have happened in the first place”.
“I think yesterday’s (Tuesday) events were unfortunate and happening on such an important day, shows the challenge we have around policing,” he said.
“Of course, we have had a series of concerns across the country over the last few days on issues of femicide and for me it’s a question where we say things just didn’t go right. It is not something we would want to say that is acceptable. We have had conversations with the Inspector General of Police, and it is regrettable and something that should not have happened in the first place,” he added.
Omollo, who has admitted that the the actions got out of hand, says anyone found culpable will be punished in accordance with the law.
“It is something that we highly regret. We have the internal processes within the structure of police and what we expect is that anybody found culpable definitely has to be taken through the legal process and established protocols.”
This comes days after President William Ruto announced a Ksh100 million allocation to support a 16-day campaign against femicide spearheaded by women leaders.
Ruto committed the funding even as he vowed decisive action to address the growing threat of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide in the country.
Speaking at State House last week, President Ruto, flanked by women leaders, emphasized the urgent need to protect the lives and dignity of women, describing the rising cases of femicide as a tragic crisis requiring immediate intervention.
“Through the Women’s Rights Advisor, we have launched the Safe Home, Safe Space campaign as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, set to commence on November 25,” the President announced.
Femicide cases
This week, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura revealed that 97 women were tragically killed in femicide cases over a span of just 90 days this year.
Mwaura, in a statement on Tuesday marking this year’s International Human Rights Day, said another 150 women lost their lives to femicide in 2023.
He emphasized Kenya’s commitment to human rights, highlighting its adherence to various international conventions, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), among others.
“As a nation, we have made significant progress in the promotion and protection of human rights. Kenya has ratified international conventions amongst them, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),” said Mwaura.
“Further, the country recently marked 20 years of the inclusion of disability rights through national legislation. Chapter Four of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 provides for fundamental rights and freedoms using a human rights-based approach.”
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