A police officer was Monday killed by a gang that attacked a rescue team that had busted an FGM rite in Elgeyo Marakwet County in an operation in Embobut forest.
His G3 rifle with 40 bullets is missing after being stolen by the attackers, police said.
The incident sparked outrage amid a planned operation in the area to get those behind the practice and the murder of corporal Mushote Boma of Chesoi police station.
The gang suspected to comprise bandits was protecting the circumcisers attending the banned rite in Embobut forest.
Six girls who had already been circumcised were rescued and are recuperating at Iten County Referral Hospital.
County Police Commander Peter Mulinge said they are investigating the attack.
He said police were on an FGM eradication programme at Maron Police post within Embolot Location where they raided and rescued six girls who had been genitally mutilated and escorted them to Embobut Police Post.
An angry youths believed to be from Maron VTC Centre Marakwet East who were armed with stones and sticks stormed the police post where Boma was manning and stoned him on the head killing him.
According to police, they then partly burned his body using his mattress and escaped with a G3 Riffle with 40 rounds of ammunition.
The incident happened just a day after a Catholic priest was Saturday attacked after attempting to intervene and stop an FGM rite that was going on in Kamoi village where 15 girls are said to have been cut.
According to the police commander, a confrontation ensued between the circumcisers’ protectors and the police rescue team that had been dispatched to Embobut forest to rescue tens of girls who were said to have been rounded up to undergo the banned rite.
Officials said female circumcision is going on behind closed doors this holiday season and under tight security of bandits who are ready to confront police.
The police rescue team from Chesoi police station and local General Service Unit personnel had rescued six girls and taken them to hospital before the gangs protecting the circumcisers pursued them to the police post.
“There was a rescue operation for girls who were undergoing FGM, and some of the girls had already been mutilated.”
‘There were many but six were rescued, but those who were conducting the rite were also protected by bandits and so they turned against the officers” Mulinge said.
The gang felt aggrieved and followed them to the police post and caught one of the officers unawares and they killed him within the police post, police said.
He said they don’t know the exact number, but there were many girls there.
At Chesoi rescue centre, there are at least 71 rescued girls according to the county police commandant who escaped the knife following their lucky rescue.
Although it is outlawed and criminalized under Kenyan lawyers, FGM is still prevalent in North Rift counties, especially in Elgeyo Marawet, West Pokot, and parts of Baringo counties.
Mulinge declared that a major operation is ongoing in the region targeting the female genital mutilators in the region.
“We cannot allow this to continue because this is outlawed. We are carrying out an operation to flush out the circumcisers and the bandits,” he said.
“The terrain is very poor and movement is difficult in the Elgeyo escarpment, and it is a forest making it difficult for the rescue team to navigate,” he said.
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