Four girls arrested for undergoing circumcision

Four girls and their parents were arrested on Monday morning in Pokot Central Sub County after they underwent female genital mutilation (FGM).

The parents of the girls were arraigned in court on Tuesday where they denied having forced their children to undergo the vice and were remanded until October 14 as they wait for police to finish investigations.

But while speaking to journalists at Chepareria Rescue Centre, the girls, each aged 15 years, said they had decided to undergo the vice due to peer pressure from their friends.

“Our parents never forced us to undergo the rite. We escaped from our homes one week before we underwent the cut. We walked several kilometres to Dung’u Dung’u village, where we met the old woman, who performed the rite,” said one of the girls.

The girls said they paid Sh200 each to the woman before she offered the services.

“We offered casual labour on one of the farms in our village where we earned the money to pay the old woman who circumcised us,” they said.

The girls said they decided to undergo the rite before December holidays. “During the holiday, the provincial administration are always on the alert and we decided to undergo the rite early before they commence serious campaigns against the rite. We also thought that the teachers’ strike would not be suspended until next year,” they explained.

The patron of the rescue centre, Teresa Lokichu, has asked women leaders in the county to join efforts and help fight the vice in the community, saying it hinders development.

Ms Lokichu said she was amazed that some of the female leaders in the county were still advocating for FGM.

“This is an outdated cultural practice and does not help us anymore. Some leaders are using this as a political tool. This is bad. We need to instead empower our women,” she said.

Lokichu, who is also a nominated member of the county assembly, asked police to investigate the allegations and arrest leaders advocating for FGM. “Nobody is above the law. The anti-FGM law was enacted and we need to respect it. Those supporting the vice should be arrested and prosecuted,” she said.

One of the girls said she was not aware that FGM was unlawful and asked other girls in the county to focus on their education and not to be forced to undergo the vice. “The whole process is painful. When I heal, I will go back to school and further my education. In future, I want to be a governor to help sensitise young girls,” she said.