Each year, thousands of young girls in Kenya go through Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) leaving them with lifelong physical and psychological scars.
This practice is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15.
Girls in the rural areas especially in Africa bear the brunt, many largely unable to confront parents when forced into the knife’s way.
US based scholar Dr Douglas Mochama Obwoge says FGM is built on atavistic practices that should be stopped.
In Kenya, North Eastern and Gusii regions have since been flagged as key hotspots.
Obwoge says it gets more tragic with claims that rogue medics are now being suspected of carrying out the prohibited rite.
They shroud it in the guise of minor surgeries.
There have been efforts to combat the practice sparking a few jail terms for the offenders across the country.
In Kisii for instance, the fight is largely driven by grassroots campaigns, survivor advocacy, and legislation.
Kisii County Assembly nominee Lilian Gor says the retrogressive vice is still seen as a rite of passage into womanhood.
It is, often tied to cultural, religious, or social norm.
“The country had passed pieces of legislations to curtail it but this hasn’t been successfully followed up by concrete action especially by the government representatives in the villages,” she said during an interview.
It just disturbs the conscience, she fumes.
Kenya had enacted the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, 2011.
The law provides the framework for public engagement and advocacy for accelerating the eradication of FGM.
Currently statistics show prevalence of the vice among women aged at 15–49 at 14.8%.
In North Eastern Kenya, 45.6% of women aged 15–49 have undergone the rite.
Many underwent cut between the ages of five and nine.
Prevalence is common among women who live in rural areas, at 18.4%, than among women who live in urban areas, at 9.7%.
Gor says the practice cuts across all ethnic groups and religions, although to varying degrees.
The highest prevalences are among Muslim women (51.1% of women aged 15–49) and the Somali (86.9%).
Kisii accounts for 70.9% while the , Maasai 56.7%, Somali 86.9% and Samburu 75.9.
Scholars like Obwoge have stopped in especially in aiding girls running away vice a chance at education.
In most communities, girls who reject the rite are are often denied education funding by their parents.
Obwoge says already tens have benefited from his initiative.
He has plans to expand it to cover other areas.
“We keep going with what we have at the moment but with more resources we can still do more,” said Obwoge.
Such noble initiatives continue to positively impact on the lives of young and innocent girls.
“A dollar or two spent well makes great difference in the lives of these minors,” he stated.
Dolphin Bwari is a survivor of the rite though a County Assembly nominee herself has a harrowing account which she is slowly overcoming to fight for others.
“It bothers me that some families are still exposing their young ones to the vice. It should concern all of us as society,” stated the mother of six.
Clinician Amos Onderi, however, says consequences of FGM can be severe ranging from short-term complications to even death.
“Long-term effects often involve chronic pain, childbirth complications, and emotional trauma,’ he stated.
Bad as it may be, it appears fun for others.
Stella Gichana, 21, says Africa is running from its culture and embracing Western values a trend she considers disturbing.
“We should not bow to every whim just because it is been traded by the West , we should interrogate ourselves if coping everything is the way to go,” she posed.
Elder Nelson Gichana ,on his part, says FGM is however steadily declining and losing value for in the community despite data painting it to the negative.
FGM was meant to reduce libido among women according to yore anecdotes.
This became more urgent in environments often wracked by tribal wars and land conquests forcing most men forced off their homes for several weeks or months into the battle front.
Dr Obwoge, a scholar in religion, says this was deemed helpful then but has no scientific backing.
He has since supported several girls by funding their education.
Many of the beneficiaries are those where parents refuse to support their young ones who run away from the scalpel.
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