Kisii county has started an initiative where young girls will be trained on alternative rites of passage that will aim at eradicating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
More than 90 girls between the ages of 10 and 15 years are undergoing training on the alternative rites of passage at Nyabururu Girls primary school.
Kisii county First Lady Elizabeth Ongwae and the Heart for Change organization have spearheaded the process that aims at curbing the vice that is rampant in Gusii region especially during December holidays.
The girls are drawn from all the 45 wards in the county. Speaking at Nyabururu Girls primary school, Ongwae said the training is aimed at protecting the girls from FGM, teenage pregnancy, aborted education, besides enlightening the minors on their rights.
Ms Ongwae observed that FGM prevalence rate in the county is still high despite interventions from Government and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and called on the community to shun the outdated culture.
She regretted that some girls willingly go for the cut with the support of their mothers and medics and warned that FGM is a criminal offence in Kenya under the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, the Children’s Act and the Penal Code.
"Some of you go for circumcision at will. Your mothers even support you, but you don't know the consequences of it under the law," warned Ongwae.
The girls are set to graduate on December 16 when the training comes to an end.