FGM among Maasai stands at 77% - CS Kobia

Female Genital Mutilation prevalence among the Maasai community stands at 77 per cent, way above 21 per cent nationally, Public Service CS Margaret Kobia has said.

Kobia said the government will implement a recent directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta to end the practice. 

The CS spoke on Wednesday in Kajiado when she kicked off government campaigns to eradicate FGM in the county. Kobia said Kajiado county is one of the worst affected regions. 

She addressed more than 300 chiefs, assistant county commissioners, deputy county commissioners, county commissioners and other senior county and national officials including top officials from FGM board led by chairperson Agnes Pareyo.

“I note some progress in this region and it is my firm conviction that if we synergize our efforts with the local administrators and local organizations, we shall end this practice by our target,” Kobia said.

President Kenyatta on November 8 hosted a high-level elders forum to end FGM in Kenya at State House, Nairobi, during which he reiterated his commitment to end the vice in by 2022. 

During the forum, elders from 22 FGM hot spot counties pledged to partner with the President and the government to work towards the eradication of FGM. 

The elders and religious leaders made strong commitments to ensure the vice is a thing of the past and that girls are provided with safe spaces.

The President launched the national policy for the eradication of FGM.

Yesterday, Kobia said to achieve that end, the ministry revised the eradication of FGM policy that was in existence from 2010 to align it with current realities, developments and the Constitution. 

“The new policy is, therefore, a product of a participatory and inclusive process involving state and non-state stakeholders and development partners and is also informed by the views of those involved in the implementation of anti-FGM initiatives,” the minister said.

The policy has five objective, namely, to accelerate the eradication of FGM in Kenya, strengthen multi-sectoral interventions, coordination, networking, partnership and community participation.

 The other is to address emerging trends and practices frustrating enforcement of the law.

 “We also need to address gender inequality by promoting the empowerment of girls and women; and strengthen research, data collection, information and knowledge management on FGM,” Kobia said.

 The policy, she said, identifies and proposes high impact strategies to address FGM in key sectors such as health, education, security, access to justice and public information while emphasizing participation as a human rights approach to empowering girls and women. 

“My ministry through the anti-FGM board will provide leadership in the implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting on this policy and ensure that the dignity of girls and women is upheld and safeguarded,” Kobia said.

To meet its objectives, Kobia said the policy has nine programs of action which are promoting education and community dialogues, enforcement of FGM laws, engaging boys and men, girls and women and entrenching FGM content in schools. 

Others, she said, are strengthening capacity building, addressing cross border FGM, addressing FGM in emergencies and humanitarian situations, women empowerment and monitoring and evaluation.

The policy covers the roles of the national and county governments, Parliament, the justice system, non-state actors including civil society organizations, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, the private sector, development partners, opinion leaders and affected communities.

The new policy also seeks to strengthen the weak coordination framework at the national and county levels particularly in the areas of education, health, culture, legal, policy and economic segments.