This archive report was first published on 29 December 2019.
Kenya's capital city, Nairobi, has emerged as the most dangerous place for women, accounting for 13 of the 94 killings recorded in 2019.
According to data from Counting Dead Women in Kenya, the worst month for a woman to be alive was February, with at least 17 killings reported.
Human rights activist Caroline Mwatha was one of the victims, whose body was found in City Mortuary on February 12, after being missing for close to a week.
Further analysis of the data reveals that 9% of the deaths were caused by stabbing, hacking, or dismemberment, while 20% were due to strangulation.
Fourteen percent of the victims were also raped, and 14% were bludgeoned to death with a blunt object.
Laikipia County was the scene of one of the most violent murders of the year, where a mother of two, Joyce Syombua, and her two children were found stuffed in gunny bags and buried in a shallow grave.
Forty-seven of the 94 killings were committed by people known to the victims, including relatives, friends, husbands, or lovers.
These disturbing statistics highlight the need for urgent action to address the alarming rate of female homicides in Kenya.
