Concern is rising in Eldoret City and the wider Uasin Gishu County following the killing of three women in less than a month. The killings have prompted leaders and human rights defenders to call for urgent action against gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide in North Rift region.

Police Constable Nathan Kirwa was on Tuesday this week arraigned before the Eldoret Law Courts in connection with the death of 45-year-old Doris Murei, following an incident on August 30 at the Naiberi GSU Mess Compound near Eldoret State Lodge.

Eldoret Chief Magistrate Peter Ndwiga granted detectives 21 days to detain the officer at Naiberi Police Station to allow investigators to record witness statements and await post-mortem and forensic reports. The case will be mentioned on September 23. Kirwa is yet to take a plea.

The incident comes just weeks after the death of high school teacher Charity Kitur on August 12, and the discovery of the body of 26-year-old Lilian Chepkor on August 6 in a timber yard on Booster Street in Eldoret town a day after she was reported missing on August 4. Police confirmed two suspects have been arrested to assist with investigations.

Human rights defenders in the county have condemned the killings and urged the government to fast-track implementation of the Presidential Technical Working Group on GBV and Femicide report.

Kimumu Ward Member of County Assembly (MCA) Sarah Malel condemned the incidents, describing them as inhumane and urged residents not to take the law into their own hands to resolve domestic disputes, but to instead seek lawful conflict resolution mechanisms, including mediation, counselling and reporting to relevant authorities.

Simat Ward MCA Moses Kebenei advised couples to embrace communication in resolving conflicts, noting that revenge should not be an option.

“It is not good to seek revenge and take someone’s life since, we, as human beings can communicate and come to an understanding,” Mr Kebenei said.

He further advised that couples whose relationships are strained should seek counselling or guidance from elders, cautioning residents not to let anger supersede their judgement and lead them to commit acts they would regret for the rest of their lives.

The Eldoret cases mirror a national crisis.

President William Ruto on January 26, 2026, declared GBV and femicide a national crisis after receiving the report by the Presidential Technical Working Group on GBV and Femicide Chaired by former Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Barasa.

Citing National Police Service (NPS) data, Dr Barasa briefed President Ruto that 1,639 women were killed between 2022 and 2024, including 529 in 2024, 129 between January and March 2025 and at least 69 since January 2026. Seventy-seven per cent of perpetrators were known to victims, according to the report.

President Ruto said Kenya must move from silence to action, from impunity to accountability and from fear to safety, committing to enact femicide as a distinct offence, establish a specialized police unit, mandate CCTV in short-stay lodgings and seek Ksh50 billion for response.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Shaline Jeruto