Kajuju decries rising cases of FGM in Meru, says parents propagating the practice

Meru County woman representative Florence Kajuju joins women in a dance at Miunda Mirime. She decried the rising cases of FGM in the county. PHOTO | DICKSON MWITI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Ms Kajuju said she was disturbed by the practice which was mainly propagated by parents.
  • She said the practice, which was earlier performed on young girls in readiness for marriage, is now outdated.
  • She added that FGM had no place in the current world and the most important thing was to ensure girls got education.

Meru County woman representative Florence Kajuju has decried the increasing cases of female circumcision in the county.

Speaking in Ruiru rwa Reera in Buuri Constituency where she was meeting various women groups, Ms Kajuju said she was disturbed by the practice which was mainly propagated by parents.

She said it was sad that there were areas where the practice was considered important for young girls despite complications it was associated with especially when giving birth.

“There are laws which were passed by Parliament criminalising the action and it is as if our people are not aware of this.

“They are very harsh to those who force their daughters into the practice and it is important that our people understand this,” she said.

She said that in most areas, culture was the main contributor to the increasing cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) especially where people were desperate to preserve it.

She, however, said the practice which was earlier performed on young girls in readiness for marriage is now outdated.

“At the moment girls have gone to school and therefore such practices have no place in our communities,” she said.

She added that FGM had no place in the current world and the most important thing was to ensure girls got education.

She said most of the girls who undergo the cut usually drop out of school thus blurring their future and in turn becoming useless people in the society.

EDUCATE GIRLS

She further said education would enable women to get prestigious positions in the government hence developing their areas.

This, she said, would bring them at par with others where education was given the first priority.

She called on women, whom she said are mainly engaged in this practice, to shun negative culture which is dragging people behind.

“People are now concentrating on education of their daughters and not circumcising them.

“When you circumcise your daughter you are just adding problems to her as opposed to education where you are giving her a key to a bright future,” she said.

She said it was in this line that President Uhuru Kenyatta formed the Anti-Female Genital Mutilation Board headed by Dr Lina Jebii Kilimo in order to uplift the Kenyan girl.

She at the same time said that Dr Kilimo would be making a three-day tour of Igembe North Sub-County from Tuesday where she will be sensitising people on the dangers of FGM as well as laws that were enacted to deal with the practice.

She urged residents to come out in large numbers in order to hear what was in store for them.