10 year old girl rescued from early marriage in Loitikitok

A 10 year old girl from Entonet, Kajiado South was on Tuesday rescued from a forced marriage to a 45 year old man.
Police officers and Anti- Female Genital Mutilation crusader Dorcas Parit stormed the home of the alleged suitor and rescued the minor as the suspects scurried in different directions.
The minor is said to have been married off by her parents on Monday night after the family was handed four cows on Sunday as dowry.
Parit said she was informed of the forced marriage by a villager who witnessed the dowry negotiations and she immediately informed the police.
When they arrived at the homestead, the suitor had already taken off having gotten wind of the impending raid leaving the minor alone in the house.
Parit lamented the increased cases of girls being forced to undergo FGM and married off adding that in the last one week alone she had rescued three girls from forceful marriage.
“It is sad that there is an increase in the number of girls being married off after undergoing FGM. This past week alone we have managed to rescue three girls. I want to urge all residents to report such cases to the police immediately,” she said.
Area chief alleged to have taken part at the dowry ceremony and in the blessing of the marriage, was summoned on Tuesday evening by area Deputy County Commissioner, Lawrence Kinyua.
Kinyua urged residents to shun retrogressive cultures such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early marriages that infringe on the rights of the girl-child.
He warned that FGM is a criminal offence under the laws of Kenya. Despite outlawing FGM it is still rampant in Kajiado County. Chiefs have often been accused of supporting the practice by failing to arrest those involved and some of them even allow their daughters to undergo the ‘cut’ saying that it is their cultural norm.
By Rop Janet