A brave girl in Narok county stood up to her father who wanted to force her to marry an old man in exchange for cows.
JN rebelled against her father, who was planning to marry her off after she sat her KCPE exam. Her father did not take her to secondary school.
She said she knew she had to look for help if she had to achieve her dream of becoming a teacher.
JN scored 260 marks in the KCPE exam.
“When I heard that there was a political meeting near our home, I decided to attend and look for someone who would assist me to continue with my education,” she said.
At the rally, JN met Narok woman representative hopeful Jane Nampaso and narrated her ordeal.
Nampaso said she was touched by the girl's plight when she met her during a campaign meeting in Loita, Narok South.
“She came to me crying and I was touched by her story," the politician said.
Nampaso said she decided to take the girl to her Narok home where she looked for a sponsor to support her education.
“I contacted renowned anti-FGM activist Hellen Nkuraiya, who happens to be my friend and she agreed to support the girl's secondary education,” she said.
Nampaso said if elected she will assist vulnerable girls who are never given the opportunity to continue with the education.
Nkuraiya thanked Nampaso for rescuing the girl, saying she has a noble cause for fighting for the rights of girls.
“When I was called by Jane on the challenges facing the girl, I agreed to take and support her education. We have been working closely with the government to ensure the country achieves a 100 per cent transition to secondary school,” Nkuraiya said.
She said she will take the girl to Enkiteng LEPA rescue centre, where she will stay until she joins secondary school.
Nkuraiya said she was also supported when she was in school.
She praised the government's efforts for fighting against human rights violation.
Nkuraiya singled out Narok county commissioner Isaac Masinde, whom she said has been fighting to eradicate FGM.
She urged leaders and residents to support and work closely with the government by ensuring Kenya is FGM-free by the end of this year.
Nkuraiya is the founder of Enkiteng LEPA school, which means 'Our Cow School'.
The school’s motto is, “Don’t Exchange Girls for Cows, Give Them Education".
It started as a boarding school to educate and protect young Maasai girls from early marriage.
It is located in Maji Moto, Narok South, on the outskirts of Masai Mara Game Reserve.
The institution hosts orphans, vulnerable children and girls fleeing FGM, early marriage and child labour. It is supported by GoPhilanthropic.org (NY) US, Jamii Moja.org (Oregon) and Kilele.org (Germany).
“WATCH: The latest videos from the Star”
