On Tuesday, police in Kenya fired teargas at hundreds of protesters in Nairobi demonstrating against gender-based violence and femicide.
Officers also arrested an unspecified number of participants.
The protesters, chanting “Stop femicide,” initially gathered in a public park but were forcibly dispersed by police, leading to running confrontations on the streets. Several demonstrators were injured during the clashes.
Activist Mwikali Mueni reported sustaining a neck injury inflicted by uniformed officers and stated she was seeking medical attention at a hospital.
“It is very sad that I was injured while championing for women not to be injured or killed. If the president is serious about ending femicide, let him start by taking action on the officers who have brutalized us today,” she said.
Kenya has a silent epidemic of gender-based violence. Police in October said 97 women had been killed since August, most by their male partners.
Last month, President William Ruto committed more than $700,000 for a campaign to end femicide after meeting with elected women leaders.
A U.N. report released in November to mark the start of a separate 16-day global campaign said Africa recorded the highest rate of partner-related femicide in 2023.
There has been a series of anti-femicide protests in Kenya and on Nov. 25 during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, police used tear gas to disperse a handful of protesters who had braved the bad weather.
Kenya was among several African countries elected to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Oct. 9.
