This archive report was first published on 7 July 2021.
On July 7, 2021, the Gikuyu, Embu, Meru Association (GEMA) Women Council of Elders petitioned Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i to deregister Gwata Ndai, a group accused of promoting Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Mount Kenya region.
According to the council, women in the region should be assured of their security and protection against FGM practices propagated by Gwata Ndai followers, particularly in Muranga County.
"We call upon all women and girls to resist these backward practices that hinder human development," said Kabura Kabea, June Waweru, and Hellen Kurutu, the council's leaders.
The council also condemned the recent incident in Muranga where a 30-year-old woman was allegedly mutilated by her husband, who had joined a cult and demanded that she undergo FGM.
The woman, who has been living in fear, said she underwent the ordeal on May 9 and has since developed health complications, including difficulty passing urine and bleeding.
The Gema women council urged the government to take stern action against perpetrators of FGM and to establish rescue centers in every county within the region.
