This archive report was first published on 10 November 2019.
Isiolo County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri has issued a stern warning to parents in the region, ordering them to refrain from subjecting their daughters to circumcision during the ongoing school holiday.
Published on November 10, 2019, Mr. Kanyiri emphasized that his officers are on high alert to ensure that those abetting the practice are arrested and prosecuted.
"The cut is an outdated practice that amounts to violation of children's rights and parents forcing it on their daughters risk arrest and prosecution," Mr. Kanyiri told journalists in Isiolo town.
He linked cases of teenage pregnancies and forced early marriages to circumcision of girls, deploring the growing number of girls dropping out of school.
Mr. Kanyiri noted that parents have the responsibility to ensure that their children attain the highest level of education, and that the government has put in place the necessary infrastructure to realize 100 percent transition from primary to secondary schools.
"Parents are also warned against allowing their girls get married at an early age as this poses a big challenge to the government's 100 percent transition programme," he added.
As part of the efforts to ensure that all children go to school, chiefs and village elders will continue visiting households, while school heads have been asked to report cases of learners dropping out for action to be taken.
