Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has directed security agencies to arrest all individuals involved in facilitating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), including community elders, as the government intensifies its crackdown on the outlawed practice.
Speaking in Elgeyo Marakwet on Saturday, October 11, Murkomen said the state will heighten surveillance ahead of December, a period when FGM cases traditionally surge in various parts of the country.
He revealed that security teams have already been deployed in counties such as Marakwet, West Pokot, Samburu, Kisii, Migori, and parts of North Eastern Kenya — regions still struggling with deeply rooted FGM practices.
Murkomen instructed security officers and local administrators to ensure all perpetrators and facilitators of FGM, regardless of their age or social status, are arrested and prosecuted. The directive includes community elders and women who carry out the procedure.
He emphasized that the government’s efforts to improve education infrastructure are aimed at protecting children, particularly girls, by ensuring they have equal access to quality learning opportunities. Murkomen stressed that those who interfere with the wellbeing and future of young girls through such harmful cultural practices will face firm action.
FGM remains a serious concern in Kenya, with a 2023 PubMed Central study showing that 15 percent of women aged between 15 and 49 years have undergone the practice. The report indicates that the vice remains prevalent in specific communities despite years of government and civil society campaigns to eradicate it.
The Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) has reiterated its firm opposition to FGM, describing it as a violation of women’s rights and dignity. The association called for continued efforts to protect girls and women from harmful traditional practices and to uphold the progress made in promoting gender equality across the country.
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