Uproar Over Gender CS Nominee Hannah Wendot's Response To Rising Femicide Cases [VIDEO]
Cheptumo claimed that femicide was a result of women pursuing relationships driven by a desire for money
Marvin Chege ![Uproar Over Gender CS Nominee Hannah Wendot's Response To Rising Femicide Cases [VIDEO]](https://viraltea.co.ke/uploads/images/202504/image_870x_67fd3699d6ac3.jpg)
Hannah Teriki Wendot Cheptumo, President William Ruto's nominee for Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Gender, Arts and Culture, might have just rattled the whole country following her controversial remarks when asked about the rising cases of femicide in the country.
During her vetting before the National Assembly Committee on Appointments on Monday, April 14, Cheptumo claimed that femicide was a result of women pursuing relationships driven by a desire for money, adding that if their incomes were better off, they would be independent.
She would go on to say that even those educated women are attacked or killed in their pursuit of money, adding that one of her main action points, should the Committee approve her for appointment by President Ruto, would be to improve the financial freedom of women in the country.
"Femicide is the intentional killing of women and girls, and it is brought about by dependency. If girls were able to have economic power, they would not depend on either gender," Cheptumo, a widow of the late Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, stated.
Moses Wetangula: The girls who have been killed in Airbnbs are in universities, they are educated
Hannah Wendot Cheptumo (Gender CS nominee): They are educated, but those ones are looking for money#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/giu4ufZCTF — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) April 14, 2025
Adding "If a woman is educated, chances are that she will avoid some of these challenges in society."
She claimed that many of the victims ended up in vulnerable situations because they had no alternative sources of income and lacked education.
However, this remark sparked pushback from some panelists, including committee chair Moses Wetangula, who pointed out that many of the girls killed in Airbnbs were university students—and therefore, clearly not uneducated.
He responded, “The girls who have been killed in recent days are educated", to which Cheptumo countered, "They are educated, but those are looking for money. You know a girl has many needs."
The remarks drew backlash from Likoni MP Mishi Mboko, who raised a point of order in protest. Despite this, the Cabinet Secretary nominee did not issue an apology.
"It is not good to say that those girls are looking for money and that is why they are brutally murdered," MP Mboko stated, adding "We have seen so many other women who have been murdered and not in those circumstances, so it is very wrong to say that those women who have been found butchered, their bodies dismembered and put in a sack, were doing that for money."
Sadly, these remarks reflect a broader pattern, as victims of femicide are frequently blamed, particularly in online conversations. Still, her remarks could turn into a huge determining factor regarding whether lawmakers approve her nomination or not, if the following comments sampled by Viral Tea are anything to go by
"What was going on in Hannah Cheptumo’s mind when she responded to that question? How did we even land on her? Her thought process just crawled out of the primordial soup," Cynthia Mwangi commented.
"Kenyan women are doing great things for women and children in this country and abroad. There are better candidates for this position, but we’re being subjected to such garbage because of political alignments," added X user @Lsankei99
By The Numbers
Femicide in Kenya has escalated into a national crisis, with 2024 marking the deadliest year on record. At least 170 women were killed in gender-related murders that year—a 79 percent increase from the 95 cases reported in 2023.
The situation worsened in 2025. Between January and March alone, 129 women were killed, averaging more than one femicide per day. The highest numbers were recorded in the Rift Valley, Eastern, and Western regions.
Should Cheptumo's nomination be approved, she will take over the Gender docket, which has not seen any individual spearhead the Gender, Arts and Culture docket since August 2024.
The closest anyone came to taking over the docket since the disbanding of the Cabinet the month before was Stella Soi Lang'at, whose nomination was rejected by Parliament on August 7, 2024. Lang'at was deemed to have failed to demonstrate adequate knowledge of topical, administrative and technical issues touching on the portfolio to which she had been nominated.
Since Lang'at's nomination was trashed by the National Assembly Committee on Appointments, it has been a struggle for the Head of State to name her replacement, something which made women MPs, lobby groups, among others, put pressure on Ruto to name someone in his broad-based Cabinet.
Wendot Cheptumo is a Kenyan lawyer by profession. She is widely known for her legal expertise, resilience, and dedication to family and community service.
