This archive report was first published on 30 November 2019.
Published on November 30, 2019, a string of love-related murders in Kenya has left the nation in shock. The frequency at which these murders are happening is making romantic relationships a dangerous place to be.
From Joyce Syombua, a 31-year-old mother of two, who was murdered with her children in Nanyuki, to faith Wangui, a 25-year-old mother of two, whose mutilated body was discovered in the Menengai forest in Nakuru, the list of victims is growing.
Journalist Eric Oloo was also found beaten to death in the house of a police inspector he had been cohabiting with. These murders are not just cases of wife or husband beating that got out of hand, but deliberate and well-planned.
According to a report by audit firm KPMG, in the past 12 months, 505,000 women in Kenya have taken time off work because of domestic violence, resulting in a loss of Sh5 billion to the economy.
Over the past 11 months, eight women in Kenya are killed in a crime of passion every month. Data from the femicide awareness platform Counting Dead Women Kenya shows that 25 women were murdered by men between January and February this year alone.
It's time to ease up on the raised brows when a relationship ends. There is dignity in walking away from a relationship that has failed. Every day you spend in a toxic relationship is one day longer you spend apart from someone you are better matched with.
