- At 22 per cent, Taita Taveta is higher than the national average, which stands at 21 per cent.
- “This dialogue is timely. We are engaging elders from the Kenyan side and those from Tanzania to propose workable solutions to this menace," Kibaara said.
Kenya and Tanzania will commemorate the International Day of the Girl by hosting a cross-border dialogue forum in Taveta.
The talks comprising of influential elders from both countries aim at ending female genital mutilation.
This inaugural inter-state FGM discussion will bring together dozens of elders from the Maasai community in Kenya and Tanzania, who will propose and adopt long-lasting solutions to curb the rampant vice.
County commissioner Loyford Kibaara said the proposed conference will bring on board all key stakeholders in gender matters to propose and design strategies to contain the outdated practice.
He spoke when flagging off a publicity convoy by the Anti-FGM Board on Monday.
Kibaara said the region continues to hold the odious title of being amongst the counties with the highest rate of FGM incidences in Kenya.
“This dialogue is timely. We are engaging elders from the Kenyan side and those from Tanzania to propose workable solutions to this menace," he said.
"Having on board key stakeholders and especially the communities that practice it will be a big boost in the war against FGM.”
Taveta subcounty is classified as an FGM hotspot due to the constant cross-border migration by members of the Maasai community.
Reports say that girls at puberty are often sneaked across the border for the cut, to evade the law.
This cross-border FGM practice poses a challenge to authorities in view of the different legal regimes adopted by the two countries, which limit potential action by law enforcement officers.
FGM data gleaned from the Demographic Health Survey 2013 indicates that Taita Taveta was amongst the 22 counties, which recorded the highest FGM rate in Kenya.
At 22 per cent, Taita Taveta is higher than the national average, which stands at 21 per cent.
Kibaara said looping in the elders who are influential and respected in their communities will significantly empower the anti-FGM crusaders who need support from such actors.
“The elders are an asset in this exercise and their input is needed,” he said.
The commissioner further said families stuck with this outdated culture had improvised and adopted sly methods to evade the law.
“The culprits have changed tact. They are doing this act on infants and babies. We have health providers on board to identify babies who are victims of this crude culture,” he said.
Mwatate MP Peter Shake termed the FGM practice as extremely demeaning to women. He called for the church to strongly condemn the vice and actively preach against it.
He said apart from subjecting the victim to physical pain, FGM also scars a child for life and eventually becomes a key source of mental trauma that affects holistic growth.
“We are asking for the intervention of the church to help us condemn this vice. It is demeaning and only works towards ruining young girls’ lives,” Shake said.
Anti- FGM Board project manager Nyerere Kutwa said the board had picked Taveta as the national venue to celebrate this year’s International Day for the Girl owing to the high cases of cross-border FGM incidents reported in the county.
He said the commemoration on Tuesday will entail hosting elders from both Kenya and Tanzania to engage in constructive debate on how to eliminate the vice.
“The communities live at the border. They smuggle girls across the border and circumcise them, which is against the law. We want the elders to come on board and help us stop this vice,” Kutwa said.
Taveta Maendeleo ya Wanawake chairperson Josephine Mboje said FGM is perpetuated by the misguided belief that it instills good morals and discourages promiscuity in young girls.
She termed the beliefs as misleading and not backed by any scientific research.
However, the anti-girls’ cut campaign has received significant support from the county government through enactment of an Anti-FGM policy that will create a legal framework for combating the vice.
County director of Gender Affairs Wallace Mwaluma said the policy was awaiting confirmation of new county executive committee members to be put into practice.
“The anti-FGM law gives impetus to the fight against this vice in the county,” he said.
Mwaluma said it also outlines the modalities and areas of cooperation between the county and other stakeholders.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)