FGM: Girls fight for life after forced circumcision goes awry

Two teenage girls sustained serious injuries after they were forced to undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at Lolmolok village in Samburu County.

The girls aged 15 and 17 have since been under the close watch of medics at Maralal Hospital, after being booked under what was termed critical state.

One of them is recovering from the ordeal and narrated from her hospital bed how her mother invited the traditional circumciser to their home on Thursday morning.

“Our mother reported back home at around 5am. She was accompanied by a traditional mutilator, who said it was time for us to undergo the rite of passage,” said the teenager. “She then used a razor blade to perform the operation on us.”

It is reported that after the prohibited cut, the Form Two student and Standard Eight pupil started bleeding profusely and underwent deep pain and anguish.

The mutilator allegedly gave them traditional herbs and cleaned the wounds with salt and kerosene to stop the bleeding and prevent infection. They bled even more profusely. It is then that their scared mother took them to the county hospital, where they are admitted.

A doctor at the facility, who requested anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media, told The Standard the two minors were placed on bacterial treatment to prevent infections.

“The patients are currently stable. They were given tetanus drugs and are also being counseled because they look traumatised,” said the doctor. “They have gone through hell.”

He added that the two had since been subjected to regular review at the facility after showing signs of improvement.

“Medical review has revealed that the girls had contracted infections. This is why they should be at the hospital for close management,” he added. Police officers arrested teenagers’ mother, and she will be arraigned for aiding and abetting FGM.

Samburu Central Sub-county police commander Alex Rotich said investigation into the crime had started.

“The mother brought a mutilator in the house and watched the girls as they underwent the illegal cut. She also failed to share information about the crime with the police. All these acts are detestable and criminal,” said Rotich.

“If it was not for the doctors who raised the alarm about the condition of the teenagers, we could not have known,” he added.

The campaign to stop FGM in Kenya was first started by the British missionaries, particularly from the Church of Scotland between 1929 and 1932.

In Kenya, at least 4 million girls and women have undergone FGM. The outdated practice is mostly performed by traditional men and women, except in the Kisii community where health personnel are responsible for two in three instances of FGM.

Removing flesh is the most common form of the practice in the country.