She successfully helped eradicate female genital mutilation

By Boniface Gikandi

When a secondary school teacher decided to confront popular traditions which had retarded development and adversely affected education, she was viewed with hostility.

Some residents of Murang’a County thought she had overstepped her mandate by trying to eradicate an age-old tradition of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in an area where people secretly subjected their daughters to the rite of passage.

However, Beth Nduta Githaiga, who was born in 1965 has ultimately become a heroine in Murang’a for her spirited courage that saw eradication of FGM.

Aware of the pitfalls and the harm that could befall girls being coerced into undergoing the rite, Githaiga and a group of female teachers traversed the entire Makuyu division holding meetings with parents and their secondary school going daughters.

Some of the parents confessed of having forced their daughters to undergo the ritual to save them from inheriting the curse allegedly left behind by their grandparents.

Her crusade saved many of the girls who had been lined up to face the knife as their parents feared of possible arrest as Githaiga who was a principal at Gathungururu Secondary School had the backing of the Government.

During a meeting at Gakungu the locals were stupefied after being asked why their grandparents had never deemed it fit to pronounce a curse to their descendants who abandoned education or insist their grandchildren must have degrees instead of subjecting their daughters to untold suffering.

Secret initiation

Cases of FGM had been on the rise in lower parts of Murang’a such as Makuyu, Maragua ridge and Gikindu and Muthithi locations where many of the girls were subjected to FGM after completion of primary education.

A resident, Wambui Kamande says the teacher did a lot in ensuring safety of girls when they were in school and at home.

“I remember her as she displayed concerns of the girl child when we felt intimidated as they were forced to undergo the painful ritual,” said Wambui.

A retired Makuyu education officer Huho wa Mburu says Githaiga demonstrated courage as she undertook the course of being a leader with a vision in matters concerning the girl child.

“I supported her course in many public forums. She was invited as a guest and helped to counsel girls on the dangers of dropping out of school and premarital sex,” said the retired education officer.

Makuyu division, he says, has seen changes in culture after her concerns that helped change ways of living.

She realised that the locals secretly initiated many of the girls during the December holidays.

Forced marriages

This made her team up with the Federation of Africa Women Educationists (FAWE) with who they would move to schools in Makuyu division urging the community to disown the culture as it exposed girls to dangers in their entire life.

“When I was posted to Gathungururu my eyes opened to the suffering the girl child undergoes after they are forced to face circumcision,” said Githaiga now Principal at Githunguri Girls High School in Kandara District.

Former Maragua District Commissioner Lydia Muriuki says: “When I left Maragua years back, FGM was a thing of the past and I’m happy that Githaiga has lived to the calling towards eradication of the negatives in the community,” said Mrs Muriuki.

The principal recounts how her team once encountered old woman they had been tipped was a renowned circumciser in Gathuri village near Saba Saba market.

The team left her with a warning to abandon her career or face wrath of the women from the entire region.

Besides crusading against FGM, the team was also instrumental in encouraging the girlchild not to drop out of school.

Previously they were exposed to pre marital sex and forced marriages.

She was faced with threats to her life owing to her crusade as some accused her of defying the traditions that required Gikuyu women to get circumcised.

In Murang’a region she has served as a Principal at Gathunguru, Kahatia and presently at Githunguri Girls secondary school.

At Githunguri Girls, she says, a lot has been done by the Board of Governors to put in place initiatives to help students from the poor background.