Police Teargas End Femicide Protesters In Nairobi CBD [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

Police officers in Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD) lobbed teargas to disperse protesters who gathered at Jeevanjee Gardens for the countrywide march against violence on women dubbed #EndFemicideKE

Photos obtained by Viral Tea showed a police car close to the gardens as clouds of smoke emanating from teargas cans thrown by the officers to disperse the crowd.

The highly anticipated march took place on the last day of the 16 days of activism and sought to bring together women, human rights activists, and allies to sensitise the issue of femicide that has plagued the country in recent months.

A collage of sections of Nairobi CBD teargassed during anti-femicide protests on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. /ADELLE ONYANGO.VIRAL TEA KE

The ‘EndFemicideKe’ X handle which was instrumental in organising the protests also confirmed the incident urging those affected to reach their emergency line 0716200100 for assistance.

“We strongly condemn this attack on our rights to peaceful demonstration for our rights,” the statement read.

Per reports reaching our newsdesk, the area near Naivas Supermarket where Nakumatt Lifestyle used to be was also affected. Furthermore, several protesters are reported to have been arrested.

Police lob teargas to disperse #EndFemicideKE protesters in Nairobi CBD#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/UvgLK9KGeu — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) December 10, 2024

Media personality Adelle Onyango also made a post update, confirming that Jeevanjee Gardens, where the march was to kick off has been abandoned after police officers teargassed those who showed up.

“Just got to Jivanjee. Learning that cops dispersed everyone. The Subaru boys are still here saying we shouldn't convene because "it's Christmas and we are disturbing the peace," she wrote.

Close to 11 months since the march dubbed #TotalShutdownKenyaAgain took over the streets of Nairobi and other major towns on January 27, 2024, Kenyans led by human rights activists embarked on plans for another countrywide march against violence on women as early as mid-last month.

Viral Tea stumbled upon scores of posts under the hashtag on X, but a 30-second clip on TikTok shared by a human rights defender Zaha Indimuli, identified as Zaha Speaks, had set the tone for another feminist march planned for Tuesday, December 10, which also happens to be the same day World Human Rights Day is celebrated.

The planned peaceful protests gained so much prominence that major Kenyan personalities such as gospel musician Kambua joined in rallying Kenyans for the march. She wrote on X "10/12/24 we march against femicide. Every woman deserves safety, dignity, & respect."

Femicide cases dominated news headlines at the beginning of the year, leading to the first round of anti-femicide protests. The murders of Starlet Wahu and 20-year-old Rita Waeni in the space of a week rocked the country to the very core.

The cases had reduced in prominence during the course of the year, only to resurface between the months of August and October, with data from the National Police Service (NPS) showing that at least 97 women were brutally murdered in a period of just 90 days, a cruel statistic that breaks the hearts of many.

Worse yet, after the report which was released at least two weeks ago, there have been more than 15 additional cases of gruesome murders of women reported countrywide, with the police stating that investigations are ongoing to bring to book all suspects linked to the murders.

On November 1, President William Ruto issued instructions to the homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in a bid to address with finality the femicide menace. DCI officers were instructed by the Head of State to work closely with other security agencies and investigate the matter to completion.

In his directive, President Ruto reiterated the government's commitment to ending cases of femicide in the country and that the government would deal decisively with those found culpable of committing the heinous crime.