Meru County authorities detain ten minors and crack down on female genital mutilation

Ten girls have been arrested in Giika, Meru County, on suspicion of undergoing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Area chief Gerevasio Mucheke reported that during a local administration operation, the girls’ parents were also taken into custody, while two other suspects remain at large.

The girls, aged between 10 and 16, were identified through a WhatsApp group where messages indicated they had undergone the procedure. “This has truly shocked us, as we cannot understand why anyone would revert to such a barbaric practice. We have also arrested the woman who performed the procedure,” Mucheke stated.

Assistant Chief Anaclate Mutwiri of Marega Sub-Location noted, “Out of 17 girls, it has been confirmed that 10 underwent the procedure. This is something we have not witnessed in our community for many years.”

Local resident and teacher Ezra Muchai added, “We want to warn anyone considering this that we will report you to the authorities. This practice causes significant harm and disadvantages.”

READ MORE When they arrived at the scene, they were astonished to find a cooking pot filled with meat and some vegetables. At the scene, was a human skull and blood-stained clothes as well as the deceased's gumboots. Police interrogated the suspect on his father's whereabouts but he noted that he was also unaware as he was still searching for him. The rest of the missing body parts first spotted by the locals was found dumped in a sack and covered with stones inside Nithi River. One of the area residents who claimed that the suspect began digging the tunnel in 2017 stated that the suspect and his victim had an argument about the condition of the tunnel before he went missing. "The two had quarrelled after the man stopped his father from cutting the Napier grass around the tunnel," Johnson Mutembei a resident told a local publication. The suspect is currently in custody pending arraignment in court to face murder charges. "We have arrested a man who is suspected to have killed his father, cooked part of the body and hidden some in a tunnel," Muthambi Sub-County Police Commander stated.