The remains believed to be from the woman who was a victim of a gruesome murder, were found chopped into pieces with her remains stuffed into two sacks, with some body parts missing.
Fear and grief have swept the Likoni Constituency in Mombasa County after a woman’s dismembered body was discovered on Saturday morning, February 8.
The remains believed to be from the woman who was a victim of a gruesome murder, were found chopped into pieces with her remains stuffed into two sacks, with some body parts missing.
The discovery caused uproar in the area, with Likoni residents lamenting what they believe is insecurity spiralling out of control, coming at a time when there has been a rise in femicide cases across the country.
However, the circumstances leading to the death of the woman are yet to be established. She is yet to be identified, with authorities expected to launch a manhunt for the perpetrator.
A screen grab of a woman’s dismembered body found in two sacks in Likoni on Saturday, February 8, 2025. /TV47
Likoni Member of Parliament Mishi Mboko led area residents in condemning the numerous cases of insecurity in the area which have seen even women being put in danger.
“We have been having meetings with security agencies about insecurity in our region, about machete-wielding gangs. But today, something bad has happened. Enough is enough. We are tired of hearing people have been stabbed, and today we have seen a woman chopped up in pieces,” Mboko lamented, leading women in a chorus decrying that the women were tired of living in fear for their lives.
“To the security agencies, what are you missing? Or what is happening such that we women do not feel safe anymore? Can you give us surety that women of this country are going to be safe?”
The matter also drew the attention of the Kenya Women’s Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) which condemned the murder and urged authorities to expedite investigations with a view to cracking down on those responsible.
“We are deeply saddened by the discovery of a dismembered body believed to be that of a woman found in sacks in Approved Estate, Likoni, Mombasa, today. KEWOPA strongly condemns such acts of violence and calls for swift investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice,” KEWOPA stated.
Despite assurances from President William Ruto’s administration, femicide remains widespread in the country. Organizations such as the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), KEWOPA, and the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA-K) have urged the government and relevant state agencies to take action against this issue.
A report by Odipodev and Africa Uncensored on femicide in Kenya showed that 2024 was the deadliest year on record for women in the country and the issue appears to be worsening despite unprecedented media coverage and public discourse surrounding the matter. The report highlighted intimate partner violence as the primary cause, with husbands or boyfriends responsible for 70 per cent of the murders.
Furthermore, younger women remain the prime target, with those aged 18 to 35 making up more than half of the victims. The perpetrators are primarily young men, with 66 per cent of suspects in court cases between 2016 and 2024 aged between 18 and 35.
On January 21, 2025, police in Huruma arrested a 29-year-old man who was ferrying body parts believed to belong to his 19-year-old wife. Police officers while on patrol within the Kelly Towers Area arrested the suspect and seized a bag on his back. Upon searching it, the officers found a bag stashed with the body parts, reports indicating that it was a human thorax.
The suspect then claimed to police that he was headed to dump it in a river, adding that he quarrelled with his wife in their house in the area before it turned tragic.
He claimed he hit her and she fell unconscious before he realised she was dead. It was then he used a knife to dismember the body and stuffed it into a sack for transportation to a river in the area.
