Police rescue 40 girls being ferried to Tanzania

Police in Kuria East Sub County have rescued 40 girls from the Kuria region who were allegedly being ferried to a rescue center in Tanzania by someone purporting to be a pastor.

The girls that were being directed by two other male adults on Saturday evening were rescued at the border of Kenya and Tanzania before reaching their destination.

Speaking to Radio Ramogi, Kuria East Deputy County Commissioner, Mr Wesley Koech, said the girls have been taken to Komotobo rescue center while the three adults, including the pastor who was accompanying them, are still being held at Ntimaru Police Station.

Mr Koech said the pastor and the two men who claimed they were rescuing the girls from FGM would be interrogated by police to establish the truth; adding that their motive is not yet clear.

“We want to know what the motive of these men is,” he said.

He said ferrying the girls to another country without informing the children’s office or security officers in the region raises questions.

“There is a procedure even if you’re taking the children to a rescue center or a children’s home, there are standard regulations that govern the process. In this particular case, he is taking the children to a foreign country and no one has certified that they be moved to the facility,” he clarified.

The DCC said they also want to establish how the pastor managed to round up the 40 girls from the region.

Mr Koech maintained that the security personnel in the region have put in place enough modalities to ensure that no girls undergo the cut this year.

The rescue of the girls comes at a time when the Kuria community is preparing to carry out the FGM, which is an outlawed cultural practice.