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Don't marry circumcised, women Njuri Ncheke advise men
The Ameru Njuri Ncheke Council of Elders when they paid a courtesy call on Tharaka-Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki on July 3, last year. The elders have asked men not to marry circumcised women.
What you need to know:
- Njuri Ncheke Council of Elders now considers issuing an edict banning marrying of circumcised girls in efforts to scale up the war on FGM.
- Njuri Ncheke elders have been in the forefront in the war against FGM since 1956 when the council banned it.
- In March 2019, the elders reinforced the ban by unveiling a plaque at a shrine in Laare, Igembe North in honour of 14-year-old Jelida Gaichuiri who died after undergoing FGM in 2018.
The Njuri Ncheke Council of Elders now considers issuing an edict banning marrying of circumcised girls in efforts to scale up the war on female genital mutilation (FGM) ahead of the 2022 target for its eradication in the country.
The elders spoke during the burial of former Njuri Ncheke chairman Paul M’Ethingia in Maua town on Monday.
The late M’Ethingia, 81, from Igembe South was a vocal anti-FGM activist in the region where the vice is still rampant.
Several incidents of FGM have been reported in Meru and Tharaka Nithi with Igembe North, Igembe Central, Tigania Central and Tharaka being the hotspots for female circumcision this year. Many others are said to undergo the unlawful practice in secret.
Njuri Ncheke Secretary General in charge of operations Josphat Murangiri, said the council’s leadership was looking into how to execute the order aimed at discouraging FGM.
Reject vice
He noted that the decision is part of the council’s attempt to keep the late M’Ethingia’s legacy alive.
“The question we are asking is who are the girls being cut for yet Njuri Ncheke banned FGM in 1956? Since it is the women who perform the cut, men will now take it upon themselves to reject this vice. Going forward, we will warn our young men against marrying circumcised girls,” Mr Murangiri said.
He said women and men who advocate for FGM tout it as the only way to nurture a good wife, terming the belief retrogressive.
The Njuri Ncheke elder also blamed the vice on some men who believe FGM can help ‘tame’ their wives.
“We are aware that some men, unable to perform their duties, force their wives to undergo the cut. I believe that when we discourage marrying circumcised girls, women will be willing to report husbands who force them into the cut,” he said.
Massive arrests
Njuri Ncheke elders have been in the forefront in the war against FGM since 1956 when the council banned it. However, they faced defiance from girls who vowed to get circumcised, leading to massive arrests.
In March 2019, the elders reinforced the ban by unveiling a plaque at a shrine in Laare, Igembe North in honour of 14-year-old Jelida Gaichuiri who died after undergoing FGM in 2018.
According to data from Unicef, 31 per cent of girls and women aged 15 to 49 from the Meru community have undergone FGM. Meru is among 22 counties most affected by FGM.
