RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONTEXTUAL RISK FACTORS AND FEMICIDE CASES AMONG YOUNG WOMEN IN JUJA SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Femicide has increased in the last decade in the global index. In Kenya, femicide occurs under diverse age brackets but recently the trend is high among young women (16-35 years). In particular, the brutal murders of young women: emerging and with increasing trends and incidents in various places call for immediate solutions. The purpose of this study was to examine relationship between contextual risk factors and femicide cases among young women in Juja sub-county. The Feminist theory and Routine activity theory were used to guide this study. This study was carried out at Juja sub-County in Kiambu County, Kenya. This study adopted the embedded research design. The target population was 300,948 respondents. The accessible population was 200,510 respondents and total sample was 288 respondents consisting of the 10 key informants included in the study, out of which a sample of 278 was drawn through the Slovin's formula. Questionnaires, checklist and interview schedules were the main instruments of data collection. The researcher drew the sample using Stratified simple random sampling. The quantitative data was collected using the questionnaires and check list while the qualitative data was done through interview schedules. Reliability was measured by a pilot study done at Nairobi County. This was through Cronbach Alpha (α) a statistic coefficient used to rate the reliability of an instrument and a value of .816 was established. To measure the relationship, Poisson regression analysis was conducted on the quantitative data with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 software. Qualitative data was analysed through thematic content analysis utilizing MAXQDA tool version 24.7. The study findings concluded that economic inequalities, cultural victimization and social dysfunctions are major risk factors in regards to femicide cases. The strength of the relationship was measured giving a p-value of .367, well above the .05 threshold. This established that no statistically significant relationship between contextual factors and femicide. This model indicated that the variables do not have a direct, independent effect on the number of femicide cases in isolation but are as a result of a more complex, multifaceted dynamics at play than simple cause-and effect.The study provided more insights to the policymakers on formulating relevant social policies, inform the society on better societal practices, contribute to the academia theories and literature on femicide, as well as inform young women in adopting femicide prevention strategies. The study recommends that to reduce these risks, there is a need for strengthened social support systems to address all these areas of concern.