Mother arrested for making daughters undergo FGM

Police in Mutino, Meru County have arrested one woman, Mary Gakundi, who has been accused of making three minors undergo female genital mutilation (FGM).

Gakuyi is accused of making her three daughters, all aged between 15 to 17, take the cut.

Confirming the incident, Tharakanithi County Police Commander Ipara said that they were informed by members of public that Gakundi had circumcised her three daughters.

Sources further informed the police that the tree minors were recuperating at the family home.

Acting on the tip off, police raided the home arresting the mother and detaining the three girls for questioning.

Ipara said the four were taken to Chuka Police Station for nterrogation, adding that once investigations are complete, they will face charges in Chuka Law Courts.

The Commander issued a word of caution to those engaging in FGM or forcing young girls to undergo the cut stating that the police would ensure that they face the law.

FGM, defined by the UN as the partial or complete removal of external female genitalia, was outlawed in Kenya in 2011.

Culturally practiced by numerous communities as a rite of passage for pubescent girls, the cut is mainly used to inhibit female sexual desire.

Amongst some communities, like the Maasai, FGM contributes to early marriage as young girls are deemed marriageable once they undergo the cut.

Women who undergo FGM are at a risk of numerous reproductive health complications, including infections, newborn deaths, fistula and childbirth complications.

For these reasons, the government outlawed the cut under the 2011 Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act. According to the law, anyone who conducts or pays another to conduct FGM can be prosecuted.

If found guilty, offenders face a three to seven-year-long prison sentence and they can be fined Ksh500, 000. If a girl dies as result of FGM, those responsible can be convicted of murder.