Kenya women march for right to wear mini-skirts

Kenya (AP) — {Nearly 1,000 people have marched through the streets of Kenya’s capital to protest a recent rash of attacks by mobs of men on women who have been deemed too provocatively dressed.}

Mobile phone videos show the attackers stripping the women naked. In response, the phrase #MyDressMyChoice is trending in Kenya’s social media, as this country works through a clash between new, Western lifestyles and traditional African ways.

Rachel Machua wore what she called “a little black dress … my normal outfit” to Monday’s protest. She views the attacks as being by lower income men jealous of successful, well-dressed women.

Women play an active role in Kenyan society though few hold high-ranking elected office. Parliament is a virtual men’s club, unlike in nearby Rwanda, where half of parliament is female.