Alternative Rites of Passage as a Means of Eradication of Fgm Among the Maa Community of Laikipia County, Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to investigate the effectiveness of the alternative rites of passage (ARP) interventions in the prevention of the cultural practice of FGM among the Maa speaking communities of the Laikipia County, Kenya. The study had four objectives: to analyse the strategies employed to promote and encourage the adoption of the ARP for girls as an alternative to FGM among the Maa speaking communities of Laikipia; to assess the attitudes and perceptions of the Maa-speaking communities towards the adoption of ARP as an alternative to FGM; to analyse the impediments to the implementation of ARP interventions among the Maa speaking communities of Laikipia County and; to evaluate the mechanisms to strengthen ARP interventions among the Maa speaking communities of Laikipia. The study was guided by the theory of planned behavior to link beliefs and social action that results in behavior change. Data were collected using unstructured interviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The study conducted sixteen (16) face-to-face interviews with girls who had undergone ARP, one (1) FGDs with girls of 13 years and below, one (1) FGD with girls between 14 – 18 years of age, two (2) separate FGDs with female and male parents/ guardians of adolescent girls, one (1) FGD with prospective adolescent girls’ suitors (Morans), one (1) Key Informant Interview with a female traditional excision performer, two (2) Key Informant interviews with community leaders and local administration, four (4) Key Informant interviews with Advocacy and Human Rights Organizations and Religious leaders. The study found out that, the Maa of Laikipia were familiar with the ARP program and its objectives. According to a cross-section of the interviewees, the Maa community were aware of the consequences of practicing FGM and those still involved in the practice did so in secret and avoided any form of the public announcement as compared to the period before the introduction of the ARP programs. The community leaders interviewed noted that the persuasive approaches had yielded better results when compared to legal measures that only forced the community to devise mechanisms to better conceal rather than stop the practice altogether. This study also found that the religious community played a pivotal role in influencing parents and guardians to embrace ARP by properly articulating its long-term benefits to Maa girls. However, there were some aspects of ARP that the community felt was aiding in abolishing their customs and tradition and as such, they developed avoidance mechanisms to ARP advocacy.The study concludes that there has been a steady decline in the practice of FGM among the Maa speaking communities of Laikipia over the last two decades. This conclusion is corroborated by the statistics from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2013/14 which show that at the National level, the FGM prevalence by age is lowest among women aged 15–19 years at 11.4%, and highest among women aged 45–49 years at 40.9%. This Survey further indicated that at least one in every three Maa girls had not undergone excision compared to the situation before the introduction of ARP where nearly all girls underwent the ‘cut'. These statistics further support the conclusion that there was a sizeable drop in the prevalence of FGM by more than 15% on average among women aged 14-49 years in the Maa communities of Laikipia since the introduction of ARP programs. In order to strengthen the effectiveness of ARP, the study recommends: stronger coordination of programs and strategies employed by different stakeholders by the anti-FGM coordination board as means of achieving greater and sustainable impact; greater involvement of the Maa communities in the entire implementation cycle of the ARP programs as means of creating buy-in and ownership and; increased investments by the Laikipia County Government towards the promotion of the ARP programs in County planning, policies, and resources allocation.