COVAW Board Chairperson Fatuma Ali and End FGM/C Network Africa Board Chairperson Amel Fahmy during the launch of the 2026-2031 Strategic Plan in Nairobi, on June 24, 2026. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]
An estimated 22.7 million girls remain at risk of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) by 2030 unless efforts to end the practice are significantly accelerated, advocates and government officials warned during the launch of the End FGM/C Network Africa’s 2026–2031 Strategic Plan in Nairobi.
The warning comes as approximately 230 million women and girls worldwide have already undergone FGM/C, with Africa accounting for about 144 million of those cases.
Launching the strategy, Amel Fahmy Board Chairperson End FGM/C Network Africa said the continent remains at the centre of the global fight against the practice and requires stronger African-led solutions.
“We are here because every girl deserves to live free from violence, discrimination and harmful practices,” she said, adding that the new strategy seeks to strengthen coordinated action, survivor leadership, research and accountability across Africa.
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Dr Fatuma Ali, Board Chair Coalition of Violence Against Women (COVAW) described the launch as a critical moment in the campaign to eliminate FGM/C, saying the practice continues to rob millions of girls of their dignity, health and future.
“Ending FGM/C is not just a development goal, it is a matter of justice, equality and human rights,” she said.
Despite decades of advocacy and legal reforms, speakers noted that the practice continues to evolve rather than disappear.
According to data presented by National Gender and Equality Commission Commissioner Paul Korir, girls under the age of five are increasingly becoming targets of FGM/C, while about nine per cent of cases are now being carried out by medical professionals.
Korir also noted that nearly 41 per cent of cases occur in urban areas, challenging the perception that the practice is confined to rural communities or driven solely by poverty.
“FGM is changing form and location, but it is not disappearing,” he said, warning that medicalisation and the cutting of younger girls are making prevention more difficult.
Kenya has nevertheless recorded notable progress. According to George Migosi, Director of Children’s Services, national FGM prevalence declined from approximately 38 per cent in 1998 to about 15 per cent in 2022.
However, prevalence remains above 97 per cent in Wajir, approximately 96 per cent in Mandera, about 83 per cent in Marsabit, 82.5 per cent in Garissa, 77 per cent in Kisii and 76 per cent in Samburu.
“These figures remind us that progress at national level must translate into real protection at county, community and household level,” Migosi said.
Speakers attributed the persistence of FGM/C to deeply entrenched social norms around marriageability, rites of passage, religion and the control of female sexuality.
They warned that the practice continues to expose girls and women to severe health consequences, including excessive bleeding, infections, childbirth complications, psychological trauma and, in some cases, death.
Emerging challenges highlighted during the meeting included medicalisation, cross-border cutting, the use of digital platforms to organise the practice and shrinking funding for anti-FGM programmes.
Ashim Yusuf of the Anti-FGM Board warned that when doctors and other health workers perform the procedure, it can create a false perception that the practice is medically acceptable.
“A health professional legitimises FGM. It’s very dangerous,” he said.
He noted that medicalised FGM can be conducted discreetly and quickly, making detection and prevention more difficult.
Josephine Obonyo, speaking on behalf of the Principal Secretary for Gender Affairs and Affirmative Action, said Kenya remains committed to ending FGM through stronger prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership efforts, while enhancing regional cooperation to tackle cross-border cases.
The End FGM/C Network Africa brings together 24 organisations from across the continent and aims to strengthen coordinated advocacy, evidence generation and survivor-centred interventions over the next five years.
While acknowledging that the global target of eliminating FGM by 2030 remains unlikely, speakers said accelerated action could still significantly reduce the number of girls at risk.
“Unfortunately, we are not going to end FGM by 2030, but we have made significant progress,” Tony Mwebia the Executive Director of Men End FGM Foundation.
Frida Wawira Nyaga, Executive Director of COVAW, said continued collaboration would be key to sustaining those gains.
“We may not end it fully globally, but in some communities, it’s possible to end,” she said.