Police have launched a manhunt for suspects who were involved in the murder of an officer attached to the Kenya Defence Forces(KDF) in Marakwet.
According to reports, a mob attacked the officer who was rescuing minors undergoing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The mob hit the officer with blunt objects and stones to his death.
They later burnt his body in Maron before fleeing with his gun armed with 40 rounds of ammunition.
Reportedly, the locals were angered by the actions of the officers who were accused of interfering with the community's tradition by taking the six minors to Chesoi Police Station.
Following the incident, police have partnered with other security agencies to apprehend the culprits involved.
The incident came days after a catholic priest was also attacked by the locals for attempting to rescue young girls from undergoing the cut.
According to the priest, more girls are being forced into the tradition and have no one to help them escape. He narrowly escaped death, sustaining severe injuries.
Data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) for 2022 revealed that 15 per cent of girls and women aged 15 and 49 have undergone the cut.
Human rights activists have been campaigning against FGM to rescue young girls from the outdated tradition still practiced in several communities in Kenya and abroad.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) despite FGM being a violation of the law over 200 million women and girls have undergone it in 31 countries. The global body calls for men to join in the fight to reduce the cases.
UNICEF cautions that the practice poses a grave danger to young girls who may deal with health complications or even death.
Meanwhile, the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act calls for penalties and fines for all those found practicing the act. Anyone found with the tools to carry out FGM also commits an offense.
"If in the process of committing the offense, a person causes the death of another, that person shall, on conviction, be liable to imprisonment for life, reads part of the act.
