Marry At 23: Uproar Over Wakadinali Member's Suggestion To End Femicide

Specifically, he suggested that women should get married by the age of 23

Marry At 23: Uproar Over Wakadinali Member's Suggestion To End Femicide
Music group Wakadinali. /CAPITAL GROUP.THE SAUCE

Scar Mkadinali of the famous hip-hop group Wakadinali on Saturday, January 27 angered Kenyans on social media merely hours after nationwide protests were held against the rising cases of femicide witnessed across Kenya.

The artist known for his punchline in songs such as Geri Inengi and others opined in a statement on his X and Instagram page that one of the ways of reducing femicide cases in the country is for women to marry early.

Specifically, he suggested that women should get married by the age of 23 and that married women are mature enough not to flock to nightclubs and short-stay accommodations popularly known as Airbnb.

An Airbnb in Kenya. /FILE

"One way of reducing femicide is by advising our women to get married by the age of 23 years. Married women rarely go to Airbnb and clubs. This is not rocket science come on," she wrote.

However, statistics recently amassed by Africa Data Hub disagree with Mkadinali's suggestion, with analysis showing that in 75 per cent of cases, the femicide killings were committed by a person who knew the murdered woman - an intimate partner, relative or friend.

Nearly two-thirds of perpetrators were currently or had previously been in an intimate relationship with the victim, with husbands, and then boyfriends seen as the biggest culprits.

Husbands accounted for the most cases at 241 with boyfriends following at 130. Comparatively, in only about 15% of cases, the woman was killed by a stranger. 

"In most cases, the murder of a woman was committed due to a family quarrel. The reason for aggression on the part of a man towards a woman can be anything - any domestic issues or attempts by women to walk away from relationships.

"At the same time, men justify their actions by saying that they could not restrain themselves or were angry because the woman, in their opinion, did something wrong," stated Africa Data Hub in its report.

The findings formed the basis of Kenyans on X sharply disagreeing with him, some accusing him of making remarks without being informed of the existing facts. Others threatened to cancel him.

Scar is notably not the only individual who was accused of failing to read the room. A day before the protests, a man nicknamed Ronaldo was among two men filmed dismissing the 'End Femicide' campaign, appearing to boldly advocate for the continued killing of women in the country.

He joined his casually dressed colleague and strongly affirmed that Kenyan men would consequently continue killing women, stating without consequence "We are going to kill you!"

"We are going to kill you, we are going to kill you. I cannot take you to Pizza, you eat my money. You women are going to die. Ati you want a man's money? Come on! You will die in droves, Na bado!" the man argued.

The following day, Ronaldo, a football fan, encountered hostility from protesting activists who chased him from the anti-femicide demonstrations after daring to show up at Jeevanjee Gardens where the march began on Saturday. 

Football club Mathare FC announced Ronaldo's permanent ban from attending their matches, accessing their premises or associating with their team in any manner. Authorities were yet to arrest him.

Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris also fell victim to the charged crowd when she was booed and heckled by protesters who accused her of being silent amid the rising cases that saw scores of women murdered across the country.

The protests were attended by close to 10,000 women and men were staged in Nairobi and major towns countrywide in response to the increased systematic killing of women and girls in general across the country owing to their gender.

Protesters march in Nairobi CBD on January 27, 2024. /X