Advertisement
CS Cheptumo warns Bomet residents as FGM remains alarmingly high
13th October, 2025 04:24 PM
Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services, Hon. Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, has issued a stern warning to Bomet County residents over the region’s high Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) rate, urging the community to end the practice at the grassroots level.
Speaking in Siongiroi in Bomet County, CS Cheptumo highlighted the county’s 26 per cent FGM prevalence, a figure significantly higher than Kenya’s national average of 15 per cent. She described it as a major concern that continues to hinder girls’ access to education, fuel early marriages, and expose them to severe health risks.
Also watch: Around 4 million women and young girls have undergone FGM in Kenya.
“While Kenya’s national FGM prevalence stands at 15 per cent, the significantly higher rate of 26 per cent in Bomet County poses a serious concern. All these people came here to Bomet not because you are doing the best but because of the alarming rates,” Cheptumo told the residents.
Speaking under the theme “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead in Crisis,” CS Cheptumo affirmed that the government views the empowerment of girls as fundamental to national progress, asserting that the future of Kenya will be built by the hands and minds of its girls.
She added that for the country to eliminate FGM, the practice must end first at the grassroots level, particularly in counties that continue to record high rates each year.
She said the issue continues to hinder girls’ access to education, promote early marriages, and cause serious health risks. It has therefore become a rallying call for renewed and stronger commitment to change.
“FGM hinders access to education and exposes many girls to early marriages and health risks. Therefore, we must end this issue, starting with us here at the grassroots level,” Cheptumo said.
Also watch: The fight against FGM has taken an unexpected turn.
The cabinet secretary appealed to men in the community to reject FGM and recognise the equality of all women, whether they are circumcised or not.
“All women, whether circumcised or not, are equal and capable of guiding our families,” she stated.
Cheptumo described FGM as a cultural belief that goes against God’s creation and warned Bomet residents to act decisively.
She stressed that the government’s engagement with the county on FGM must come to an end, announcing that future visits will focus solely on development.
The CS commended a group of women in Bomet County who were previously involved in FGM but have since reformed and are now leading anti-FGM campaigns in the region.
According to her, these women deserve appreciation for making a bold decision that demonstrates their commitment to ending FGM.
Furthermore, the women have formed a Savings and Credit Co-operative (Sacco) and have ventured into farming as an alternative source of livelihood.
“I want to congratulate the women in this region who have put down their tools used for cutting our girls and have now ventured into agriculture. Such commitments assure us that the goal of ending FGM is achievable,” Cheptumo said.
