Gender Cabinet Secretary nominee, Hannah Wendot Cheptumo, is under pressure to issue an apology over her comments on femicide victims.
Hannah Wendot, on Monday April 14, made a controversial remark when asked to define femicide, which left some of the legislators with questions.
During the vetting by the National Assembly Committee on Appointments, Cheptumo stated that victims of femicide were mainly uneducated women. She would go on to add that the educated ones are killed or attacked while looking for money.
“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 stated.
“If a woman is educated, chances are that she will avoid some of these challenges in society.” she added.
Junet speaks
Speaking on Wednesday, April 16, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed called on Cheptumo to issue a formal apology.
“Having been a member of the committee that vetted her, Hanna Cheptumo must apologize for the remarks she made about women who die in Airbnbs. Whether you are looking for money or not, you don’t deserve to die; death is not an answer to anything,” he said.
Junet acknowledged Cheptumo’s qualifications for the position but insisted that her remarks had crossed a line.
“In her qualifications, I have a lot of confidence that she can do the work. But on the remarks she made, she must give a clear statement of apology to the nation and especially the women of Kenya,” he added.
Hannah should be held accountable
Calls for accountability have grown on social media and from civil society organizations demanding that Cheptumo take responsibility for the insensitive nature of her remarks.
“We call her out for spreading misinformation about femicide. Femicide in Kenya is in no way promoted or facilitated by “women pursuing relationships motivated by a desire for money”.
“Majority of the cases of femicide in Kenya are promoted, facilitated and perpetrated by men who feel entitled to women, their property, their bodies and their labour and the majority of women are killed by their husbands,” EndFemicideKE Movement said in a statement.
By BNN