President William Ruto’s nominee for Gender Cabinet Secretary, Hanna Cheptumo, on Monday attributed Kenya’s femicide crisis to women pursuing relationships motivated by a desire for money.

During her vetting at Parliament buildings in Nairobi, Cheptumo told lawmakers that if vetted, one of her main action points to address the worrying murder of women in Kenya will be improving women’s financial freedom.

“I see a lot of it is because of dependency. If girls could have economic power, they would not depend on the other gender. Sometimes they are in situations where they are exposed because they are trying to get an alternative source of income,” she said.

Part of it, Cheptumo argued, is ensuring girls get an education, including technical and vocational education and training for those who do not qualify for colleges and universities.

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“If a woman is educated, chances are they will avoid these challenges in society today,” the CS nominee said.

But National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula challenged her, saying, “The girls who have been killed in recent days are educated.”

To which Cheptumo responded: “They are educated, but those are looking for money.”

Hannah Wendot Cheptumo: Femicide is brought about by dependency. If girls were able to have economic power, they would not depend on either gender. If a woman is educated, chances are that they will avoid some of these challenges in society

Moses Wetangula: The girls who have… pic.twitter.com/lH8G1CTWR0

— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) April 14, 2025

The CS nominee is the widow of the late Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, who succumbed to sickness in February.

She is a lawyer and describes herself as an advocate for women’s rights, legal empowerment, and social justice.

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President Ruto nominated her in March to fill the docket, which has been without a CS since Parliament in August 2024 rejected Stella Soi Lang’at’s nomination over her suitability for the role.

The ministry was originally held by Aisha Jumwa and was left vacant following Ruto’s Cabinet reshuffle in July 2024 after weeks of anti-government protests.