Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina has come up with a raft of proposals aimed at tackling the growing cases of femicides and child disappearances in the country.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

In a statement on Tuesday, May 26, the lawmaker called for urgent and coordinated action, saying the continued killings of women and child disappearances showed systemic failures in institutions tasked with protecting Kenyans.

Among the measures she proposed are the establishment of a multi-agency rapid response unit, strengthening forensic and investigative systems, and decentralisation of special Gender-Based Violence (GBV) courts.

The vocal legislator also rallied for the creation of an instant missing children database linked to local police stations through red alert notifications.

📌 What You Need to Know

"This alarming rise in cases of femicide and child disappearances in Kenya is a national crisis that demands urgent, unified, and sustained action from all arms of government and, collectively, the society," she said.

The MP also called for gender-responsive budgeting, the establishment of community-based prevention systems, increased funding for child protection services, specialised training for officers handling such cases, investment in mental health support, and nationwide public education campaigns.

She further urged county governments to establish Gender-Based Violence (GBV) rescue centres to provide immediate assistance to survivors and vulnerable children.

According to the lawmaker, Kenya’s response to gender-based violence and child disappearances has remained fragmented and reactive instead of preventive and coordinated.

In her speech, Njeri faulted the government over delayed investigations, weak forensic capacity, negligence, victim-blaming attitudes, and failure to act on warning signs before violence escalates.

"While statements like this raise awareness and acknowledge the crisis, significant gaps remain between acknowledgement and implementation," the legislator revealed.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke