Uhuru reveals what his late father believed in, but he doesn’t

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, November 8, said, unlike his late father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, he does not approve of female genital mutilation.

Speaking at State House-Nairobi, where he received a report on FGM in the country, the Head of State said his government is committed to eradicating FGM by 2022.

“3.2 million women in Kenya have undergone female genital mutilation,” he said.

“FGM is a retrogressive practice whose continued existence in our country in actual fact assaults our individual and national consciousness. The practice is inimical to our shared fundamental values as enshrined in our own Constitution that we, as Kenyans, passed,” he said.

“My dad rooted for FGM. That, however, does not mean I should stick to his school of thought. Times have changed, and I wouldn’t champion for FGM, whatsoever,” said President Kenyatta.

The results of the FGM-in-Kenya study, which was commissioned by the Gender ministry, was presented to the president by Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Cabinet Secretary Prof. Margaret Kobia.

The event was also attended by elders and religious leaders, who agreed to lead the onslaught against FGM.

The national policy on the eradication of FGM was also launched at the Friday ceremony.

President Kenyatta ordered regional and local administrators to ensure FGM is not practiced in their areas of jurisdiction.