The Standard ­ Thursday
Date: 08.10.2015
Page 33.
Article size: 137 cm2
ColumnCM: 30.44
AVE: 73066.66
Four girls arrested for undergoing circumcision
By IRISSHEELSHANZU
Four girls and their parents were Sh200 each to the woman be­
arrested on Monday morning in fore she offered the services.
Pokot Central sub county after they "We offered casual labour on one
underwent female genital mutilation of the farms in our village where we
(FGM).
earned the money to pay the old wom­
The parents of the girls were ar­ an who circumcised us," they said.
The girls said they decided to un­
raigned in court on Tuesday where
they denied having forced their chil­ dergo the rite before December holi­
dren to undergo the vice and were re­ days. "During the holiday, the provin­
manded until October 14 as they wait
cial administration are always on the
for police to finish investigations.
But while speaking to journalists alert and we decided to undergo the
at Chepareria Rescue Centre, the girls, rite early before they commence se­
rious campaigns against the rite. We
each aged 15 years, said they had de­ also thought that the teachers' strike
cided to undergo the vice due to peer would not be suspended until next
pressure from their friends.
year," they explained.
"Our parents never forced us to un­
The patron of the rescue centre, Te­
dergo the rite. We escaped from our resa Lokichu, has asked women lead­
homes one week before we underwent ers in the county to join efforts and
the cut. We walked several kilometres help fight the vice in the communi­
to Dung'u Dung'u village, where we ty, saying it hinders development.
met the old woman, who performed Ms Lokichu said she was amazed that
some of the female leaders in the
the rite," said one of the girls.
The girls said they paid county were still advocating for FGM.
"This is an outdated cultural prac­
tice and does not help us anymore.
Some leaders are using this as a po­
litical tool. This is bad. We need to in­
stead empower our women," she said.
Lokichu, who is also a nominat­
ed member of the county assembly,
asked police to investigate the allega­
tions and arrest leaders advocating for
FGM. "Nobody is above the law. The
anti­FGM law was enacted and we
need to respect it. Those supporting
the vice should be arrested and pros­
ecuted," she said.
One of the girls said she was not
aware that FGM was unlawful and
asked other girls in the county to fo­
cus 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 ed­
ucation. In future, I want to be a gov­
ernor to help sensitise young girls,"
she said.
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya