The prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which has reduced from 21 per cent in 2014 to 15 per cent in 2022, demonstrates the Kenyan government and stakeholders’ commitment to end the harmful practice.
However, the freedom of women, especially small girls, continues to be suppressed as various communities in the country continue to subject them to the cut either against their will or out of ignorance.
But one would wonder why the customary practice outlawed through the prohibition of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2011 has not stopped, despite various actions that have been taken to rescue women from the shackles of this retrogressive practice.
According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Health, Marsabit County is ranked third with 83 per cent FGM rate in the country after Mandera and Wajir.
The Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Performance, and Delivery Management, Moses Kuria, noted that FGM has persistently continued to pose challenges due to the complexity that surrounds it, but that the government is committed to eliminating the harmful practice.
Mr. Kuria called for collective efforts in developing and implementing strategies to counter the practice, which is deeply rooted among communities spread in 22 counties across the country.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Anti-FGM Board Chairperson, Surum Ipato, during the commemoration of this year’s International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM held at the Marsabit stadium, the CS said that survivors-led movements would be supported to end FGM.
Kuria said the focus should now be on women survivors, whose resilience in the fight against the outlawed practice is remarkable and deserves support.
The cabinet secretary further lauded the collaborative approach at the county level spearheaded by the county governor’s wife, Alimitu Jattani’s Mama Guyo Foundation, CBOs like the Inua Dada Mashinani, the Marsabit women advocacy development organisation (MWADO), and the affirmative action pushed by the office of the county woman representative, Naomi Wako.
He observed that the comprehensive approach in tackling the issue had also seen the highest decision-making organ of the Borana community pass a revolutionary decision against the rite.
“The active involvement of community-based organisations, development partners, and stakeholders further amplifies our impact on the ground,” he noted, and he asked agencies charged with the responsibility of enforcing the law to ensure no girl or woman is subjected to the practice.
In her remarks, Mrs. Ipato said the drive towards the eradication of FGM should be sustained by ensuring that the fight is collectively done so that women and especially survivors of FGM are not held back by the chains of tradition.
“Empowering women is key to breaking the cycle of female genital mutilation,” she said, adding that adolescent men should also be actively involved in the programme so that they can help in demystifying the traditions associated with the rite.
She called on the leadership of other communities that live in Marsabit to make declarations similar to the one made by the Borana Council of Elders, Abba-Gada, prohibiting FGM.
The chairperson was echoing the sentiments of the county first lady that other communities were still clinging onto the practice and challenged their leadership to declare it harmful and untenable.
Governor Ali said everyone has the power to bring about the desired change, hence contributing to the eradication of FGM.
The Governor, while lauding the good work being done by various actors, observed that FGM was a hindrance to gender equity and equality because it denied the girl child the right to education and subjected her to forced early marriage and abuse.
He said that building the nation calls for the involvement of all citizens, irrespective of gender, and that protecting the rights of women was important to the improvement of the living standards of the people through poverty reduction, promotion of good governance, and development.
The survey by the KNBS and the Ministry of Health further revealed that 92.5 per cent of women and 88.8 per cent of men believe that FGM has outlived its purpose and should be stopped.
Leaders, the youth, and elders at the ceremony spoke against the practice and called for lawful action against those still propagating it.
By Sebastian Miriti
