Gender Cabinet Secretary nominee Hanna Cheptumo has linked the rising cases of femicide in Kenya to women’s financial dependency on men.
Appearing before Parliament for her vetting on Monday, April 14, 2025, Cheptumo said that one of her main goals, if appointed, would be to improve women’s financial freedom as a way of tackling the crisis.
Cheptumo who was hand-picked by President William Ruto for the role, told lawmakers that in her view, many women find themselves in dangerous situations due to economic dependence. According to her, with better access to education and financial opportunities, women would be less vulnerable to harmful relationships.
“I see a lot of it is because of dependency. If girls could have economic power, they would not depend on the other gender. Sometimes they are in situations where they are exposed because they are trying to get an alternative source of income,” she said.
Adding;
“If a woman is educated, chances are they will avoid these challenges in society today.”
However, her remarks drew criticism from National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, who pointed out that many of the women killed in recent days were already educated.
“The girls who have been killed in airbnbs days are educated,” Wetangula noted.
Cheptumo stood by her argument, saying that even those with education were still seeking financial support.
“They are educated, but those are looking for money,” she replied.
Likoni MP Mishi Juma Khamisi also criticized the remarks made by Cheptumo expressing concern over the suggestion that the victims were targeted because they were seeking money.
Khamisi emphasized that it is misleading and unfair to generalize the motives behind the brutal killings of women, pointing out that many have lost their lives in circumstances that had nothing to do with financial gain.
She condemned the narrative that places blame on the victims, especially in cases where women have been horrifically murdered, their bodies mutilated and dumped in sacks.
According to the MP, such statements not only trivialize the gravity of femicide but also risk justifying heinous acts of violence against women.
“It is not right to say that those girls are looking for money and that is why they are brutally murdered. We have seen many other women who have been killed in other circumstances other than money. So it is very wrong to say that those women who have been butchered, bodies dismembered and bodies put in sacks that they did that for money, ” Mishi argued.
129 deaths in 2025
Kenya has witnessed a disturbing rise in femicide cases in recent months. According to the National Police Service and the National Crime Research Centre’s recent report, Between January and March 2025 alone, 129 women were killed; 43 in January, 42 in February, and 44 in March.
The most affected regions are Rift Valley, Eastern, and Western Kenya. Men were responsible for 85 per cent of the killings, while women accounted for 10 per cent. Most of the perpetrators were people known to the victims, with half of the murders linked to domestic issues.
Kenya reported 579 femicide cases in 2024. The first three months of 2025 show that the trend is worsening.