Scores of women in Nairobi gathered to participate in a march against femicide, a hate crime that involves systematically killing women based on their gender.
Among the participants were numerous celebrities, including Gloria Kyallo and her boyfriend Ken, who joined the crowd in song.
In an interview with Mpasho’s Kalondu Musyimi, Gloria emphasized the importance of politicians taking a stronger stance on the issue.
“It was very important for us to come out here about the cause, so you know just walk with the women,” Gloria stated, highlighting the significance of men joining the march to raise awareness.
She noted that Ken willingly joined without her having to ask, stating, “We also need guys like Ken, and that’s why he came here. I actually didn’t have to ask him to come. He was like, ‘Oh, obviously I am coming.'”
Expressing her views, Gloria stressed that every Kenyan woman deserves safety, equality, and justice.
Ken added his thoughts on challenging harmful social norms, saying, “I think one of my most important reasons as to why I came is because I feel like this could have happened to anybody, anyone that I know.
As much as I didn’t know the victims, it could have literally hit close to home, and I feel that it’s really important that we actually come out to stop it before it continues.”
Addressing a disturbing incident, Ken mentioned a video from Nyeri where individuals opposed to ending femicide made offensive comments.
He highlighted the urgency of changing the harmful mentality some men hold, saying, “If this is the kind of mentality that men have out here, then we have a very big problem, and we need to change that as fast as we can.”
Gloria reflected on the impact of the femicide walk, stating, “I think that we have been heard, but I think like this has to be, we need to hear it from now from our leaders because I feel like our leaders have not been really proactive in spreading the word. Also, our men leaders like our President and our MCA’s basically everyone in Parliament.”
She finished by stating the need for leaders, especially men, to speak louder about the issue and address it within their circles.
By Mpasho