FALSE: An American missionary in Baringo did not undergo Female Genital Mutilation

A Facebook post by Nairobi News claiming that an American missionary living in Baringo underwent female genital mutilation ahead of her traditional Pokot wedding is FALSE.

The article, which was also shared on Facebook, claimed that Teresa June Estes, who has worked in Baringo for over 10 years, to underwent the harmful practice, as one of the requirements for a traditional Pokot wedding.

However, Ms Estes, the missionary mentioned in this story, has refuted the claim that she underwent the cut before her Pokot traditional wedding in Paka Hills, Baringo County.

Teresa, who spoke to PesaCheck, added that Desert Rose Ministries, the organization that she and her husband set up for her ministry work, has rescued girls in Baringo from FGM and child marriages since 2010, through in Baringo.

According to a statement issued by the Anti-FGM Board, Ms Estes did not undergo FGM, and it did not feature at all during her traditional Pokot wedding.

The Board, whose mandate is to advocate against FGM in Kenya, assured the public that the government of Kenya has zero tolerance towards FGM in the country.

PesaCheck has looked into the claim that an American missionary in Baringo underwent Female Genital Mutilation ahead of her traditional Pokot wedding and finds it to be FALSE.

This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.

By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds.

Have you spotted what you think is fake news or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content.

This fact-check was written by PesaCheck researcher James Okong’o, was edited by PesaCheck Content Editor Ann Ngengere and was approved for publication by PesaCheck managing editor Eric Mugendi.

PesaCheck is a joint initiative of Code for Africa, through its innovateAFRICA fund, with additional funding support from the International Budget Partnership (Kenya) and Twaweza, in partnership with a coalition of local media organisations, and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).