Grainy videos of two attacks in Mombasa and Nairobi, taken on mobile phones and circulated widely via Twitter and other social media, show mobs of men surrounding the women, wresting off their clothes and appearing to kick them in their genital area.
One of the march’s organisers said she was aware of 10 separate attacks across Kenya.
Protesters chanting “My dress, my choice!” (AFP: Simon Maina)
Violence affects women, men, boys and girls, and if left to continue gaining currency, will deny us healthy relationships,” organiser Ruth Knaust told Capital FM radio.
The Nairobi attack, which happened in broad daylight on a busy street last week, sparked outrage in the cosmopolitan capital.
Deputy president William Ruto called the incident barbaric and Inspector General Police David Kimaiyo has appealed to the victim to come forward, local media reported.
The march, which was made up mostly of women, was an unusual public display of support for women’s rights in Kenya, where sex crimes are rarely prosecuted.
“Women are being assaulted,” protester Diana Okello said.
“We especially want to know what the women we chose as leaders are doing.”
Men also took part in the protest, which brought city centre traffic to a standstill.