Samburu County has recorded remarkable progress in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM) following strict laws and awareness programs in the region.
According to statistics from the Kenya Anti-FGM Committee, the prevalence of the harmful practice in Samburu State has decreased significantly, plummeting from 86% in 2014 to 75.6% in 2022.
Bernadette Lologe, chief executive of the Anti-FGM Committee, blames recent awareness campaigns for Samburu girls, as well as progressive legislation, for the decline.
She points out that the involvement of community elders and other opinion leaders has now been of great help in raising awareness among locals about the need to abandon this practice and embrace alternative rites of passage. Masu.
“In 2014 it was 86 percent, and in 2022 it's 75.6 percent. A 10 percent decrease is huge in this war,” Loloju said.
progressive law
Anti-FGM advocates are optimistic that efforts by local elders to eradicate FGM, which affects 21 percent of Kenya's female population, will succeed.
While she commended local elders and other stakeholders for leading the fight against a regressive culture, she noted that they continue to implement progressive legislation and awareness campaigns in the region and other hotspot counties. I admit that I am doing it.
“I'm glad that the local elders have accepted this idea. I hope they continue to convey the anti-FGM message to the local people. They are the opinion leaders in their respective villages,” she says.
Soimu Lekme, president of the Samburu Council of Elders, believes communities are gradually abandoning FGM following the Kisima Declaration two years ago. Involving older people in the fight against FGM is considered the best approach. Because they (older people) are decision makers in their communities.
equal treatment
“We are committed to ending this vice in our community. With a roadmap drawn for 2022, we are determined to end this practice.” says Mr. Nation, Africa.
In March 2021, Samburu elders signed a declaration noting support for the eradication of FGM. At a high-level meeting attended by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, elders also pronounced the fate of those found practicing FGM to be arrested and arraigned in court.
The declaration also reinforced other regressive cultural practices such as early marriage, rape, and teenage pregnancy, and emphasized equal treatment of men and women in education.
Last week, regional elders in five counties that are hotspots for female genital mutilation also pledged to guide their communities to abandon outdated cultural practices.
Elders noted that the practice of FGM hinders the well-being of girls in society. Migori, Samburu, Baringo, Bungoma and West Pokot elders agreed to educate their communities about alternative rites of passage.
Elders gathered in Kisima area of Samburu County to benchmark progress on the infamous Kisima decorations where elders signed a decree to end FGM. Migori, Samburu, Baringo, Bungoma and West Pokot districts have some of the highest rates of female genital mutilation in the country.
