BY MANUEL ODENY

Gender activists from Migori county has said about five people have been arrested and about 200 girls rescued as the Kuria community has began circumcision in December.

Vincent Mwita, an activist with Tunaweza Empowerment program said in Kuria the Bwirege clan which also cuts across in Mara province in Tanzania started the circumcision exercise days ago, and while only boys are legally allowed to undergo the rite of passage girls have been forced through.

“In Kuria the other Nyabasi, Bugumbe and Bukira clans have not undertaken circumcision, but despite that we are still grappling with need to monitor girls and ensure culprits are arrested,” Mwita said.

Speaking to Nyanza News the activist said so far a coordinated team comprising of elders, police, public administrators have managed to have five suspects arrested with several reported cases being followed up for investigations.

“Those arrested will face the full force of the law, while we are working hard to rescue as many girls as possible from the cut,” he said.

Two rescue centers, Komotobo with about 150 girls and a new one at Nyabikongori with about 20 have been set up to help in rescue mission.

Colleta Bwahi, the CEO of Micontrap Kenya said attempts to rescue the girls have been derailed by porous border and use of boda boda riders to privately move circumcisers and girls to evade police.

“We have managed to have cross border coordination to stop girls and circumcisers moving across the two countries and we have placed our boda boda riders to be on alert to help in reporting cases,” Bwahi said.

According to a just released report by the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), 15 per cent of school going girls in Kenya have undergone the illegal Female Genital Mutilation, raising concerns that ending the vice still need much more attention.

The reports further says that 23 per cent of Kenyan girls are married before they reach the age of 18 years while 65 per cent of girls and women have faced sexual harassment in pubic spaces and 64 per cent online and in social media.