They know it's wrong, but still do it: Four years after Samburu elders vowed to end FGM
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta with Samburu elders during an anti-FGM declaration event held at Kisima area Samburu County, in 2020. The elders' vow raised awareness but failed to eliminate FGM.
What you need to know:
- Four years after Samburu elders signed a historic declaration to end FGM and child marriage, the practices have largely moved underground rather than stopped.
- While cultural awareness has increased, rescue centres remain severely overcrowded with one shelter housing 98 girls despite being built for 50.
Four years ago, a historic moment unfolded in Samburu County. Cultural elders long seen as custodians of culture gathered at Kisima, a sacred place in the Samburu culture, and signed a declaration recognising their role as community leaders and custodians of culture to work with the government to eliminate female genital mutilation(FGM) and child marriage.
But four years on, has anything changed?
According to David Lentiyoo, organising secretary of the Samburu Council of Elders, the answer lies somewhere between progress and promise.
“Before the Kisima Declaration, people were not even talking about FGM,” he says.
“Now, people know it’s wrong. They may still do it, but they do it knowing it is bad.”
The Kisima Declaration, made in March 2021, brought together elders from Samburu, Laikipia, Marsabit, and Isiolo counties who collectively denounced FGM and child marriage.
Their authority over cultural norms made them crucial allies in the battle against harmful practices. Yet, as Letinyoo openly admits, their leadership remains overwhelmingly male.
“There are about 100 members in the council,” he says. “There are women, yes, but not in the umbrella body. They are in sub-locations and locations, but none in the council.
Letinyoo defends their approach by emphasising that the council recognises its responsibility to support women.
“It is our job to help women,” he insists. “When we meet, we ask about women. We even plan to put their issues on the agenda. But for now, they are not part of the umbrella body.”
According to a post-Kisima analysis by the Anti-FGM Board, while some leaders claimed FGM had largely been eliminated in their communities, others were reluctant to give estimates, citing how the practice has simply gone underground.
It notes that a general lack of verified data and statistics on FGM prevalence remains a key challenge in the county.
Moreover, women interviewed during the assessment appeared to be less optimistic about the pace of change.
Some elders also cited growing divisions among girls and women due to shifting norms. The elders reported that the girls who have not undergone FGM are sometimes told they are not blessed and cannot be married.
Conversely, others who have undergone the procedure face stigma in schools outside the county. These opposing pressures reveal how FGM remains deeply entangled in girls’ social status and identity.
He cites lack of resources as a major challenge they face in following through with grassroots engagement.
“On the day of the declaration, I said we need transport and support to reach every mountain,” Letinyoo recalls.
“You can’t walk to remote villages with no roads. You leave your family, your children. You need food, fuel, and someone to go with you. Without that, we are stuck.”
Meanwhile, for rescue shelters like the Mary Immaculate Girl Child Rescue Centre in Suguta Mar-Mar, Samburu County, the numbers remain alarmingly high.
“Our dormitory was built for 50 girls, we are now hosting 98,” says Sister Teresa Nduku, the centre’s director, who has given her life to rescuing and protecting girls from child marriage, FGM, and gender-based violence.
