By Ben Leshau
A couple has been arrested by security agencies in Narok South after
10 girls suspected to have undergone the outlawed Female Genital
Mutilation(FGM)were nabbed by detectives.
Confirming the incident, area Deputy County Commissioner Mr. Felix
Kisalu who led the operation said they got a tip-off from members of
the public and managed to arrest the duo at Chepnyaliliet village.
Kisalu said the security team raided the home of the couple and found ten girls.
He said the information on the girls was that they had been gathered
in readiness for circumcision secretly at night.
The owners of the homestead and the 10 girls were arrested and booked by a special team headed by OCS Melelo police station.
The girls were taken to Narok County Hospital for health inspection
while the couple was held at Ololung’a police station.
Children Department also informed of safe house arrangements and
technical documentation.
Area County Children’s’ Officer Mr Pilot Khaemba said age assessment
being done for further legal action.
“We shall secure the girls with assistance from our partners. Age
assessment has also commenced to determine whether they were minors or not for legal purposes,” said Mr Khaemba.
The Anti-FGM Board Chairman Agnes Pareiyo who was also part of the
operation regretted that the retrogressive culture was still ongoing
despite the awareness and enforcement from the government.
“It is so unfortunate that FGM is still ongoing. Now we have 10 now
having been ‘cut’.We call for concerted efforts by all the
stakeholders. This vice is illegal and those perpetuating the same
will face legal implications,” said Ms Pareiyo.
Mr Kisalu estimated the ages of the 10 women who had undergone the
‘cut’ to be between 18-24 saying that one of them was a married woman
who was a mother of four children.