Federation of Women Lawyers-Kenya (Fida-Kenya) has called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to declare femicide and gender-based violence (GBV) national disasters in the wake of the suspected murder of Olympian Agnes Tirop.

Her husband Ibrahim Rotich, was arrested on Thursday in Changamwe, Mombasa County in relation to the death of his wife who was found dead at her home in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County on Wednesday.

In a statement, Fida-Kenya chairperson Nancy Ikinu, cited Tirop’s case as a disturbing count of the rising rates of femicide in the country.

“The numbers are worrying and Fida-Kenya is concerned over safety and security of women and girls of this nation and appeals to the government to uphold its constitutional mandate in protecting girls and women from these wanton killings,” she said in Thursday’s statement.

Victim blaming

She said the pronouncement of femicide and GBV as a national disaster should be succeeded with commitments to stop this violence against women.

While demanding of the National Police Service and the Director of Criminal Investigations to expedite investigations into the cause of the athlete’s death, the women’s rights lobby group urged the public and media to cease from victim-blaming and sensationalising her death.

“The general public (should) desist from insensitively discussing victims, especially on social media by laying blame on the victims and ask all Kenyans to adopt a culture that seeks to identify, report and testify against perpetrators,” the statement read.