This archive report was first published on 11 July 2019.
On July 11, 2019, a dramatic rescue took place in Entonet, Kajiado South, where a 10-year-old girl was saved from a forced marriage to a 45-year-old man.
According to reports, the minor was married off by her parents after they received four cows as dowry, a common practice in some parts of Kenya.
Anti-female genital mutilation crusader Dorcas Parit, who was informed of the forced marriage by a villager, immediately alerted the police, leading to the rescue of the minor.
Deputy county commissioner Lawrence Kinyua, who was summoned to the scene, urged residents to shun retrogressive cultures such as FGM and early marriages that infringe on the rights of the girl child.
"I was informed of the forced marriage by a villager who witnessed the dowry negotiations," Parit said. "I immediately informed the police, and they were able to rescue the minor."
