Trans Nzoia County Member of Parliament Lilian Siyoi called on Kenyan girls to be very cautious with online dating.
Siyoi argues that some of the criminals involved with organ trafficking take advantage of online dating to murder innocent girls.
The legislator also linked the rise in murder cases involving women in Kenya, commonly referred to as femicide, to organ trafficking.
“People have devised mechanisms of getting money. Some pose as lovers through some social media platforms, and when you go to meet them, they turn and murder you, extract some of your organs and sell them. Therefore, our girls should not trust strangers,” Siyoi said.
Organ trafficking is an illegal trade and transplantation of human organs, tissues or body parts. This trade amounts to a violation of human rights.
Kenya has not formally ratified the Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism 2008, which seeks to ensure ethical organ transplantation, prevent organ trade and end transplant tourism.
However, there are several legal instruments and policy frameworks that address organ trafficking.
The lawmaker said parents should be partly blamed for not playing their parental role as expected.
“While we need the government to protect our children, parents should also take an active role in raising their children. We should instil good morals in our children,” she added.
She further stated that men should not feel inferior to empowered women and called on financially endowed women to support their husbands.
“Things have changed over time and we also need to adjust accordingly. Women are now empowered and we should help our husbands by paying some of the household bills,” the Trans Nzoia County Woman MP said.
How many femicide cases have been reported in Kenya?
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), recently released shocking statistics that in the last three months, over 97 women have been killed in unclear circumstances.
In January this year, women and human rights defenders marched on the streets of Nairobi city protesting the rise in cases of femicide.
On March 8, 2024, during International Women’s Day, the Trans Nzoia County government together with the Trans Nzoia Women Leaders Caucus launched a Gender and Development policy.
