Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has ordered a crackdown on community elders and anyone found to be facilitating FGM across the country.
Speaking in Elgeyo Marakwet on Saturday October 11, Murkomen said that security agencies should remain vigilant, particularly in December when the number of FGM cases in the country increases.
Murkomen stated that security teams have already been deployed in counties such as Marakwet, West Pokot, Samburu, Kisii, Migori, and parts of the North Eastern region, which are notorious for the practice.
The CS said that the security agencies, as well as other grassroots leaders, have been instructed to arrest and take legal action against the FGM perpetrators, including community elders.
“I do not want to hear anything like FGM here in Marakwet come December. If anything like that happens, then I will be here to ensure that those involved are arrested,” Murkomen stated.
“Even if they are elders, including women who will be found carrying out FGM, they will be arrested and prosecuted,” he added.
Murkomen, further assured that the government is ramping up efforts to improve education infrastructure across the country, to ensure that every child, especially girls get quality education.
“We are building schools so that our children get educated, and we must give our girls a chance to learn. Those interfering with the lives of our girls must be stopped,” Murkomen stated.
FGM is a harmful traditional practice with severe health complications, and is rooted in many sub-Saharan African countries.
In Kenya alone, it is estimated that the prevalence of FGM is 15% in women aged between 15 and 49 years, according to a study published at PubMed Central in 2023.
According to the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA), no woman should be subjected to such an act, since it is already recognised as a violation of human rights.
"KEWOPA stands firm in ensuring that all women, including FGM survivors, are accorded the respect, dignity, and opportunities they deserve. Kenya has come a long way in addressing gender discrimination and harmful practices, and such remarks would erode these gains," the statement.
