President William Ruto has reaffirmed the Kenya Kwanza government’s commitment towards eradicating female genital mutilation (FGM) by end of his tenure.
Speaking on Monday, Ruto said that FGM cases in his tenure will be eliminated.
“I agree with CJ Martha Koome that FGM should not be a conversation we are having in Kenya in the 21st Century,” he said.
“I want to assure support from my administration in the elimination of FGM as it is retrogressive and a danger to the health of our girls,” Ruto added.
He was speaking during the launch of the Administration of Justice in Kenya Annual Report 2021/22.
Chief Justice Martha Koome has been in the front pushing for the fight against FGM.
She has called on Kenyans to intensify the fight against FGM and early marriages.
Koome said government policies and laws should have a gender lens in relation to the data used, gender matrix analysis and participation of women and girls in policymaking.
Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta had 2019 committed to eradicating the retrogressive practice in Kenya by December 2022.
At the same time, the Prohibition of FGM Act, of 2011 established an-Anti FGM board tasked with designing, supervising, and coordinating public awareness programmes against the practice of FGM among other roles.
