FGM declines in Samburu thanks to new laws and sensitisation
Anti-FGM Board CEO Bernadette Loloju during the launch of a project, aimed at educating the Somali community on the negative impacts of FGM. She says involvement of elders in anti-FGM sensitisation has attributed to the decline of cases.
What you need to know:
- Statistics from the Anti-FGM Board Kenya, show FGM prevalence in Samburu decreased significantly, plummeting from 86 per cent in 2014 to 75.6 per cent in 2022.
- Anti-FGM Board Chief Executive Officer Bernadette Loloju, attributes the decline to progressive legislation coupled with sensitisation campaigns among Samburu girls in recent years.
Samburu County has recorded remarkable strides in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) following strict legislation and sensitisation programmes in the region.
According to statistics from the Anti-FGM Board Kenya, the prevalence of the harmful practice in Samburu decreased significantly, plummeting from 86 per cent in 2014 to 75.6 per cent in 2022.
Anti-FGM Board Chief Executive Officer Bernadette Loloju, attributes the decline to progressive legislation coupled with sensitisation campaigns among Samburu girls in recent years.
She notes that the involvement of the community elders and other opinion leaders, who are now sensitising locals on the need to abandon the practice and embrace alternative rites of passage has been of great help.
"We had 86 per cent in 2014, but now we stand at 75.6 per cent as of 2022. A 10 per cent decrease is massive in this war," says Ms Loloju.
Progressive legislation
The anti-FGM advocate is optimistic that the community elders' commitment towards elimination of FGM that affects 21 per cent of Kenya's female population will be successful.
She commends community elders and other stakeholders leading the war against the retrogressive culture, while acknowledging they are still conducting progressive legislation and sensitisation campaigns in the region, and other hotspot counties.
"I am happy that community elders have embraced it. I urge them to continue taking anti-FGM messaging to locals. They are opinion leaders in their respective villages," she says.
Samburu Council of Elders chairman Soyim Lekume, believes the community is gradually abandoning FGM following the Kisima Declaration two years ago. The involvement of elders in the fight against FGM is seen as the best approach because they (elders) are community decision makers.
Equal treatment
"We are committed to ending this vice in our community. A roadmap was drawn for 202, and we are determined to have this practice end," Mr Lekume tells Nation.Africa.
In March 2021, Samburu elders signed declaration forms that heeded support to end FGM. During the high-level meeting attended by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, elders also spelt doom to anyone found undertaking FGM- that he or she would be arrested and arraigned in court.
The declaration also cemented other retrogressive cultural practices including early marriages, rape and teen pregnancies, and emphasised equal treatment of boys and girls in terms of education.
Last week, community elders from five FGM hotspot counties also committed to lead their respective communities to abandon the outdated cultural practice.
The elders noted that FGM practice was holding back the wellbeing of girls in the society. The elders from Migori, Samburu, Baringo, Bungoma and West Pokot agreed to sensitise their communities on alternative rites of passage.
The elders converged in Kisima area in Samburu County to benchmark on the progress of infamous Kisima Decoration that saw elders sign decrees to end FGM. Migori, Samburu, Baringo, Bungoma and West Pokot are among the counties with the highest FGM prevalence rates in the country.
