Promoting eradication of FGM through alter native rite of passage: a study of community engagement strategies in Keiyo - Marakwet Country, Kenya

Abstract

Based on studies that revealed the cultural significance of FGM as an important stage in transition to adulthood, a new approach was initiated in Kenya in 1997 to provide an alternative rite of passage for girls in communities that traditionally practiced FGM. The new approach included most of the cultural ceremonies and traditional practices that communities engaged in during traditional circumcision ceremonies, but excludes the ‘cut’. This approach was adapted among the Keiyo community of Western Kenya in 2003 and named ‘Tumdo Ne Leel’. However, while the alternative rite of passage has generally recorded notable success in many parts of the country, there is evidence that FGM is still common, and indeed on the rise, in parts of Keiyo community. This study thus aimed to understand why the intervention appears to have failed in parts of the country by analyzing the public perceptions of the communication strategies used to promote Tumdo Ne Leel in Keiyo community. This was a cross- sectional study where interviews and focus group discussions were used to generate data from selected community opinion leaders, parents, traditional circumcisers and adolescent girls. Study findings suggest that the use of religious institutions as the main platform to engage the community regarding alternative rite of passage has largely contributed to the failure of the project in parts of the community. Most of those who practiced FGM do not subscribe to the church doctrine, hence any project promoted by the church is conceived as a cultural interference. It also emerged that circumcision was ideologically constructed within the community as a process through which women attain respect in society, hence uncircumcised women were ostracized. The paper proposes a participatory community engagement approach that will enhance community ownership of the programme.