First Lady Rachel Ruto has called for an end to the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) cultural practices prevalent among pastoral communities.

While joining the community in Suswa, Narok County, for the national launch of the Global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence and the My Dear Daughter campaign on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, Rachel Ruto said there is a need to stand together to end Female Genital Mutilation and safeguard millions of women and girls at risk.

Activism against GBV

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a global campaign led annually by the United Nations (UN) Women. It runs every year from 25 November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to 10 December (Human Rights Day).

The First Lady’s call comes when cases of GBV and early marriages targeting women in the Maasai community have been prevalent. She has also hailed the elders in Narok and Kajiado counties for declaring the fight against the cultural practice that puts the victims at health risk.

”The eradication of FGM is not optional. It is not negotiable. It is not a suggestion. We must not stop until FGM and child marriage are stories our grandchildren read about, not realities they live through. Today, we honour the Maasai Elders of Narok and Kajiado for boldly declaring, “No more FGM and child marriage. Not in our time. Not to our daughters.” This is a national turning point, a community taking ownership of change, and fathers rising as protectors,” Rachel Ruto asserted.

Intensifying fight against GBV

On the same topic, Nairobi County Woman Representative Esther Passaris has intensified her campaign against GBV, a threat that has left scores injured and hundreds of people dead in Kenya and around the world. The legislator has asked the Kenyan community to observe the period and rebuke assaults against women.

”We cannot ignore the harsh reality before us, a growing pandemic of GBV and SGBV in our homes, our communities, across our country and the world. Too many women, girls, children, boys and even men are suffering in silence. Too many families carry wounds they never deserved. Violence is not our culture, and silence will not be our response,” Esther Passaris said on X on Tuesday, November 25, 2025.

In recent years, Kenya has witnessed a disturbing surge in cases of femicide, the intentional killing of women, often perpetrated by intimate partners or family members. This rising tide of gender-based violence has sparked outrage, grief, and calls for urgent action across the nation.