Barely days into the new year, two cases of mysterious female deaths have been reported, raising questions about the tide of femicide that gripped the nation in 2024.
The two incidents are eerily similar to the numerous cases of femicide reported last year.
In Kirinyaga, the body of a 13-year-old girl was found dumped in a coffee farm after what is suspected to be rape and strangulation.
According to the family, the Grade 7 pupil left the rest of the family within the compound at around 10am before going missing.
Media and Police outside a crime scene in Kenya.
Photo
KNA
The relatives after a while launched a search, only to find her murdered a few meters away from their home.
Preliminary results indicate that the pupil was sexually assaulted before being strangled to death, as indicated by a piece of cloth found around her neck. Police say she was then dragged from the scene of the crime and dumped in the coffee farm.
A family member while speaking to the media revealed that when she was found, blood was oozing from her ears and nose, and her underwear was missing. Police have since taken the body to the Kirinyaga County Referral Hospital mortuary.
The second incident has police probing the circumstances of the death of a 28-year-old woman whose naked body was found dumped in Kiambaa, Kiambu County, on Saturday morning.
According to police, the lifeless body of the young woman was found in the Kamutaro area along the Ruaka-Banana Road.
The discovery was made after residents reported the incident at Karuri Police Station around 7am. The body was found half-naked with no visible injuries.
According to police, the head of the deceased had been tightly bound with a blue t-shirt, obstructing her mouth and nose, in a possible attempt to suffocate her.
A preliminary report indicates that the 28-year-old had been living with a 44-year-old man for about four years at a rental apartment in the area. The apartment is said to be just 200 meters from where the deceased’s body was discovered.
Her body was taken to Kihara Level IV Hospital for storage, pending postmortem.
Thousands of women in Nairobi CBD hold peaceful demonstrations against femicide on January 27, 2024.
Photo Monica Mwangi