Elderly woman jailed for carrying out FGM released

A woman who was jailed for practising female genital mutilation has been released from prison after serving her jail time. stepped out of prison vowing never to go back to the vice.

Lokwalap Chemelsau, 70,was jailed in 2016 after she was found guilty of circumcising dozens of young girls in Central Pokot.

Ms Chemelsau, who served her sentence at the Kapenguria GK Prison, was on Monday evening escorted to her home in Tilingwo village, Lomut by officials. 

'TRANSFORMED'

The septuagenarian, popularly known as Ko-Chemtai, vowed never to go back to the vice.

 “I am now transformed. I have left behind what I was doing,” she said. 

Stephen Sang, Kapenguria prison chief inspector, asked the community to accept back Ms Chemelsau saying she had reformed after two years of incarceration.

“A prison is a place to rectify people not to punish them. We call on residents to accept Chemelsau back to the community as she is now reformed,” said Mr Sang.

Ms Chemelsau was among the first people to be convicted under the anti-FGM law which was enacted in 2011.

World Vision official Titus Kaprom said his organization was happy that Ms Chemelsau had changed saying they will support her campaign awareness and other similar programmes in the region.

He said the organisation has been offering alternative means of survival to other reformed female circumcisers in a bid to stop them from going back to the vice.