Starlet Wahu: Expert Sheds Light On Why John Matara's Victims Remained Silent, Blames Victim Shaming

• At least four victims of John Matara and his syndicate have reached out to police officers after the death of Starlet Wahu
• Janet Anyango, Deputy Director, FIDA, Kenya, said that most female victims of violence fear reporting because of being shamed and blamed for not being cautious
• She called on Kenyans to desist from shaming and blaming victims of violence against women to help create safe spaces for reporting perpetrators

On Thursday, January 4, Kenyans woke up to the horrifying news of the brutal killing of socialite Starlet Wahu.

How John Matara attacked Starlet Wahu

According to police reports, Wahu, a famous socialite and the main suspect behind her killing of John Matara, booked into room Y32 of Papino Apartments in South B on the night of Wednesday, January 3, only for their sweet moment to turn bloody.

Police sources further indicated that Matara stabbed Wahu in the head and on the thigh, causing her to lose a lot of blood, before locking her in the room where she was found dead.

Matara was arrested at Mbagathi Hospital, where he had gone to seek medical help following injuries he sustained on his limbs, including a human bite.

As Kenyans were reeling from the bloody and scary narration from the South B incident, at least four other women, according to police, came out to report that they were victims of Matara and a syndicate.

John Matara's dreaded syndicate

They narrated how Matara and his merciless syndicate members would lure women through social media and then torture and extort money from them and their relatives, with threats of killing them if they dared raise the alarm.

TUKO.co.ke sought to find out why these victims' encounters only came out after Wahu's killing, yet they could have helped avert such fatalities.

Violence against women situation in Kenya

Janet Anyango, Deputy Executive Director, Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Kenya, and Advocate of the High Court, explained the scenario, saying that the culture of silence remains the greatest impediment to addressing violence against women and girls (VAW/G).

"Three things: lack of safe reporting avenues for women and girls, which leads to victim blaming, shaming, and questioning their credibility and believability; women and girls fear retaliation and/or blackmail; and the criminal justice system is just so tedious for victims and/or their families," Anyango explained to TUKO.co.ke.

Asked if the victims of Matara feared coming out to report their plight at the hands of the assailants, Anyango said this could be part of the impediment to justice.

Was there a safe space for John Matara's victims to report violence?

"Perpetrators, most of whom are well known to victims and/or are in positions of trust with victims, often use fear, threat, and/or intimidation to silence them. The victims, in turn, resort to silence for fear of blackmail and/or retaliation to either themselves, their families, or people close to them," she explained.

According to Anyango, some victims have reported instances where they are not believed or even asked to bring witnesses, despite the private spaces where such forms of violence occur.

"In other instances, they have been blamed and shamed for the violence meted out against them, and this makes it extremely difficult for them to report. Most victims cannot access legal representation, and when the cases go to court, some perpetrators get acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence from poor investigations," added the lawyer.

Where can women safely report violence in Kenya?

TUKO.co.ke also found out that a lack of enough spaces for reporting or limited information about safe reporting spaces makes it difficult for victims to seek help if they survive at the hands of their assailants.

However, Anyango disclosed that FIDA-Kenya runs free and safe legal aid and psychosocial support clinics in Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nairobi, where victims and/or their representatives can get legal aid.

Safe houses and shelters for female victims of violence in Kenya

"In addition, we run a toll-free line, 0800-720501, where victims can safely report, get psychosocial support and legal advice, and get referred to safe houses or shelters," she disclosed.

Anyango explained that the agency also creates safe reporting avenues and conducts effective investigations and prosecutions that ensure conviction; thus, deterrence will go a long way in addressing VAW.

Besides the abovementioned services, FIDA-Kenya chairs the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Working Group at the National Council on Administration of Justice (NCAJ).

The deputy director said they are committed to a legal and policy review of existing laws on SGBV that will be more protective for victims of VAW and that will entrench the establishment of safe shelters for survivors of VAW at the county and national levels.

FIDA- Kenya's strategy to end violence against women

She called on the state and non-state actors to seize the opportunity to conduct community sensitisation on VAW/G and the effects of the deep-rooted patriarchal attitudes and gender stereotypes that expose women to VAW and exploitation.

Already, FIDA-Kenya has embarked on advocacy for victim-centered approaches to addressing VAW.

Anyango called on all stakeholders in the criminal justice system to embrace this model that focuses more on empowering the victim as opposed to only bringing the perpetrator to book.

With the heightening biased and barely tamed social media criticism of victims, Anyango prevailed on the government to put in place strategies to strengthen legal frameworks on cyberbullying and promote freedom of expression and association for women and girls.

Wahu's elder brother, Pastor Victor Kanyari, stunned many after disclosing that his family hurriedly buried his sister to avoid embarrassment.