An act of ‘slut-shaming’ in Nairobi has prompted women to protest in defence of their right to wear what they choose

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Hundreds of women have turned out on the streets of the Kenyan capital today to defend their right to wear what they choose after a woman was stripped and beaten for wearing a miniskirt.

The attack, which took place last week at a busy bus stop in Nairobi’s Central Business District, involved dozens of men who surrounded the woman, tore off her clothes and forced her to the ground.

Local media said the men, who are believed to have been ticket touts, had said the woman was “indecently dressed”, and accused her of “tempting” them.

A video of the incident later emerged online, showing the men calling the woman “jezebel” as she cried for help. The footage has sparked debate in Kenya, with many Kenyans taking to social media to condemn the video, uniting under the hashtag #MyDressMyChoice.



Today the Facebook group Kilimani Mums organised a “miniskirt protest” in central Nairobi to defend their right to wear what they choose.



Willis Raburu (@WillisRaburu) Whether they wear a bui bui or a mini skirt...Let us make our ladies feel safe.. #MyDressMyChoice #TruthMeter pic.twitter.com/IKSGSklETu

On their event page they wrote: “This morning we as Kilimani Mums met and decided that we shall hold a peaceful procession to Accra Road.”



“This is our chance to stand together as women and deliver a message to our country that sexual violence will not be tolerated.”

It is reported that over 200 people attended the march.

Hours after the protest departed from Uhuru Park to where the attack took place on the Accra Road, reports began to circulate of clashes with the ticket touts.



Kenya’s Ghetto Radio reported that the men confronted protestors and argued they would “continue to strip women who are dressed skimpily.”

The victim of the attack remains anonymous. Police chief David Kimaiyo appealed to her to lodge an official complaint with police so that the incident can be investigated, according to the BBC.



Campaigners say that in Kenya’s conservative society, women’s rights are often abused. A Kenyan petition titled “Violation against women will not be tolerated” hosted on the campaign website Avaaz has attracted over 4,000 signatures since it was launched last week.

“It doesn’t matter whether or not the woman was indecently dressed, after all what’s the benchmark for what is considered decent? Furthermore, how did stripping her bare aid in enhancing her decency?” wrote Winnie Kabintie, a correspondent for KenyaForum.net.



muki (@Muki254) Proud to be a Kenyan woman today. People took it from a hashtag to a protest and thousands turned up. #MyDressMyChoice

Some of the male protestors who attended today’s demonstration were called “gay” for supporting the marching women, a sentiment echoed by various voices on Twitter, shining a light on attitudes towards homosexuality in the country. Same-sex acts are considered a crime, punishable with a jail sentence of up to 14 years, and prejudice is widespread.

Soshi OG (@daidey) Truly remarkable day for the women of Kenya. Other towns around the country should organize #MYDRESSMYCHOICE demos

Today’s protest is not isolated to Kenya alone. In February 2014, Ugandan police issued a public warning against “indecently dressed” women. The country’s state minister for ethics and integrity supported the warning, and had also proposed a ban on miniskirts. Women mobilised under the #SaveTheMiniSkirt hashtag.

“From #SaveTheMiniSkirt online campaigns to Save the Miniskirt parties to formal lobbying to organising in the streets and off, women shut it down,” wrote Dan Moshenberg, Director of Women’s Studies at George Washington University, for Africa Is A Country. “Women understood that the issue of their clothing was nothing more or less than an attack on women’s autonomy.”

james wamathai (@uqweli) My brother @bonifacemwangi wearing a dress at #MyDressMyChoice pic.twitter.com/ymuZ4lOb1W

In February 2013, Namibia also attempted to ban miniskirts, leading to the arrest of 40 women after police claimed that revealing clothes “are not African.”