Nurses who secretly perform Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Samburu County have been warned to stop the act or face the law.
Speaking today during the County Gender Sector Working Group (CGSWG) meeting at a Maralal hotel, Anti-FGM Chief Executive Officer Benedette Lolojuu noted that there is a new trend in Samburu County where parents are paying qualified nurses to perform FGM on their children at home.
She said that parents are seeking services of retired nurses and also those still in service in order to evade police and Anti-FGM campaigners in the society.
“We are aware of this trend and your days are numbered when you are arrested you will face the law just like the traditional cutters,” she said.
The CEO reminded the nurses that the Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe signed a policy statement in October 2020 warning all the nurses and any medical practitioners against performing FGM.
Ann Lelesiit an Anti-FGM campaigner noted that gender violence is rampant in Samburu County but the county government is not investing enough on gender issues.
“If they build many classrooms and fail to tackle gender issues the classes will end up being empty because early marriages will still be rampant, boys will prefer “Moranism” to education and the cycle will go on,” Lelesiit said.
Samburu County Gender Officer Albert Wanjohi said that the CGSWG was formed to coordinate gender issues in the county and ensure that there is no duplication of activities from different gender organisations as well as eliminate briefcase NGOs.
By Robert Githu
