Women demand safe space as they mark Women's Day in Kenya

The peaceful march, which also was expected to take place in two other Kenyan towns, was dominated by demands that women be made safe, following a spate of murders of young women by their boyfriends and husbands. They counted at least 12 women who have lost their lives in the last two months.

"We cannot continue to sit in silence since it can happen to any of us. We are human beings first and then women. We demand that our rights be recognized," said Nancy Ouya, one of the main organizers.

She said the movement started on social media, two months ago. "Something had to be done as more reports of women losing their lives hit the headlines. My friends joined in and it has snowballed to this. We will continue demanding change," the law graduate said.

Florence Machiwa, a human rights lawyer working for Equality Now, said the culture of violence against women is a national crisis. "It has started to become a norm and more rape and murder cases are hitting our headlines. We want to be respected and have our voices heard."

She said the march came at an opportune time, when the world was marking International Women's Day. This is in line with the theme "Think equal, build smart, innovate for change", she said.

"We cannot build an equal society when a large part of the population is oppressed. This is why we are here," Machiwa said.

The organizers have said that a larger march will be called if nothing is done by end of the month.