Nyamira South Sub County Children’s officer Billy Adera has blamed locals for hiding vital information from the government, thus hindering the fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Addressing the press at St. Vincent Pastoral Center in Kisii town Wednesday, Adera said the local community has not made any recognizable efforts to end the vice.
“Kenyan US-based girls come back to the country to undergo FGM before going back without anyone reporting such cases. You only hear it being talked about in barazas and meetings,” he lamented.
The children’s officer urged Gusii region politicians to give the FGM fight a voice so as to end it by 2022 as projected by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Adera also decried low budgeting of Sh100 million to the FGM Board saying that it cannot adequately support efforts to fight the vice, adding that there is need for parliament to review the allocation.
Speaking in the same meeting organized by Muungano Gender Forum, Kisii University gender officer, Josephat Kiriama urged the national and county governments to ensure policies against FGM are implemented.
According to Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) report, the prevalence of FGM among members of the Gusii community stands at 94 percent.
by Erastus Michieka and Dominic Onkware/Jane Naitore
