Despite progress in anti-FGM advocacy across Kenya, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) continues to thrive, particularly through medicalised forms that are harder to detect and prosecute.

In the Gusii community, notably in Kisii and Nyamira counties, medicalised FGM has become alarmingly common.

But this is not a localised problem. Communities in Narok, West Pokot, Samburu, and Isiolo also continue practising FGM, both traditionally and increasingly through medicalisation, despite it being illegal and harmful. 

Medicalised FGM refers to FGM performed by healthcare professionals – nurses, midwives, or doctors – usually in private clinics or home settings.

Families often see it as a “safer” alternative to traditional cutting. However, the World Health Organisation and the Kenyan government have categorically stated that FGM has no medical justification.

Whether done by a traditional cutter or a trained health provider, it remains a violation of human rights. 

In the Gusii community, FGM is deeply rooted in cultural beliefs that define it as a rite of passage into womanhood and a requirement for marriage.

Over the years, due to growing legal and societal opposition, many families have shifted from open traditional ceremonies to secretive procedures performed by medical personnel.

These procedures often occur during school holidays or at night, making them difficult for law enforcers to track. 

However, medicalisation does not make FGM less harmful. Girls still face the same risks: severe pain, excessive bleeding, infections, long-term reproductive health complications, psychological trauma, and even death.  

The practice persists for several reasons. Cultural expectations, peer pressure, and societal stigma against uncut girls play a significant role.

Families fear social rejection and reduced marriage prospects for their daughters if they don’t conform.

In some cases, health professionals perform FGM secretly in exchange for payment, turning the practice into a commercial enterprise. 

Elsewhere, regions such as Narok, West Pokot, Samburu, and Isiolo also continue to grapple with FGM.

Nonetheless, hope remains. Grassroots organisations, civil society actors, and human rights defenders are working tirelessly to end FGM in all its forms.

In the Gusii region, organisations supported by the International Solidarity Foundation have been instrumental in challenging the practice.  

Through community dialogues, survivor-led storytelling, youth engagement, alternative rites of passage, and the involvement of men and religious leaders, change is gradually taking root. 

To end FGM entirely, the government must strengthen enforcement of existing laws. Health professionals who participate in or enable FGM must be investigated, deregistered, and prosecuted.

Community sensitisation must continue, and survivors must be supported to heal and become agents of change.  

Medicalised FGM is a dangerous and deceptive evolution of an already harmful practice. Whether done with a razor blade in a village or a scalpel in a clinic, FGM is still FGM, and it must be stopped.

Ending this practice is not just about protecting girls’ health, but about defending their dignity, freedom, and future. 

The writer is an Advocate against gender-based violence and a Communications Coordinator at the International Solidarity Foundation