A girl displays a placard during a campaign against FGM. Anti-FGM campaigns have been staged in many parts of Northern Kenya. (Photo/Nation)
There was drama on Tuesday when villagers opposed a group of Dayaa women from holding a meeting in Tana River to sensitize residents on the need to drop the illegal FGM practice.
A group of men led by a local Imam engaged the women group and demanded that the meeting be called off since the women lacked the mandate to brainwash their wives and daughters.
The men said the rite of passage is supported by religion and it is part of the community’s tradition and if it is done away with, the tradition will be abolished and there will be loss of lives.The vowed not to allow their families to part of those going against the tradition.However, Tana River county Women rep Rehema Hassan intervened and cooled down the tempers.The lawmaker urged residents to stop the practice, saying it is no longer tenable in a modern society. She said her IIwana community had stopped the practice since it is retrogressive.“My community used to practice this rite but we later stopped it when we realized it is outdated,” she said.The MP said the practice poses a great danger to womanhood and residents should stop it. She challenged men to help educate their wives and daughters to end the FGM practice.