Tomorrow, on February 27th, 2024, my heart weighs heavy as we launch a nationwide feminist movement under the hashtags #ShutDownKE, #StopKillingWomen, and #EndFemicideKE. This cause resonates with a deeply personal and painful experience that shattered my world in 2021.
In that fateful year, I lost a cherished friend—a companion with whom I spent an entire month envisioning our shared future. Our dreams of business partnerships, artistic collaborations, and modeling ventures came to an abrupt and tragic end when she was thrown from the 7th floor of an apartment in Nyali, Kenya, allegedly by an Ugandan businessman. What makes this heart-wrenching loss even more agonizing is how I discovered it—from a screengrab on a friend's status who had no knowledge of our relationship.
We had spent weeks together, navigating the intricacies of life, and planning a future filled with promise. She was not just an artist, fashionista, model, and businesswoman; she was the source of inspiration for her family in Mombasa, a beacon of hope for her mother and siblings. However, her vibrant life and potential were callously extinguished by a man who saw her as nothing more than a disposable entity.
Take a look at my #LATE friend 😭😭😭 https://www.instagram.com/shazz_keyaofficial?igsh=YzljYTk1ODg3Zg==
See how it was around Media platforms, knowing very well it's someone you had spent with a month.
THE STANDARD PUBLISHED https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/coast/article/2001425280/police-hunt-foreigner-after-woman-falls-from-balcony
As we unite for #ShutDownKE, #StopKillingWomen, and #EndFemicideKE, we must not forget the delayed justice in cases like Monica Kimani's, a source of hope for her family. Monica, found murdered in an apartment in Nairobi, represents countless others who have faced brutal fates.
Today, we eagerly await the court's pronouncement,(after years of postponing judgement) hoping for a step towards closure and justice—a reminder that the fight against femicide extends beyond personal experiences to a broader, systemic battle for a safer, more just society.
Edit: Imagine the judgement has been postponed, the last paragraph case again!!
