President Uhuru Kenyatta has affirmed his confidence that Female Genital Mutilation will be done away with by 2022, in accordance with a resolution he and his government made earlier this year. Speaking at a meeting which brought together leaders and elders drawn from 22 Counties most affected by FGM at State House, he said it’s not an easy task and he appreciates the efforts made by anti-FGM crusaders amidst strong opposition.
He said the practice is retrogressive and its existence assaults the national conscience, “The practice no longer has a place within our Kenyan society…it’s also an affront to the Kenyan identity,” he said.
He noted in order to achieve this goal of zero FGM, the government knows it must initiate community base programmes that are culturally sensitive and encourage a change in social norms. He said social, cultural, religious and fraternity elders have been identified as key. “Base don the commitments I am confident that we are on the right track and we’ll achieve zero FGM in Kenya by the year 2022,” he said assuredly.
An estimated 9 million girls and women in Kenya have undergone FGM, which accounts to over 6% of the estimated 140 million girls and women who have undergone the retrogressive practice globally.