20/08/2026
šMy Story: Why I Became a Voice for Changeš
"It was August 2018. I was in Form Two when I received a call from my father telling me to leave school and come home. He sent me transport, but he did not tell me why I needed to return.
When I arrived home, I received the most painful news of my life: my forth born sister had died during childbirth
Her body had been brought from Kapenguria Hospital to her home in Mosop. We began preparing for her burial.
As the hearse carrying her body approached her home, it reached a difficult section of the hills and suddenly stopped. The driver tried to move forward, but the vehicle could not climb the hill. Surprisingly, when he reversed, the vehicle could move.
Community elders who were nearby began speaking to the body, believing that perhaps my sister was preventing the vehicle from moving. Nothing changed. Eventually, community members carried her body on their shoulders up the hill until they reached her home.
That evening, because it was already dark, we rested and planned to continue with the burial preparations the following morning.
But the next morning, something unimaginable happened. As preparations for the burial continued, some relatives from the husband's side and community elders raised an objection: my sister, they said, could not be buried because she had not undergone FGM.
According to the belief held by some members of the community at the time, burying an uncut girl would bring misfortune upon the family and could cause future generations to be wiped out.
My father tried to defend his daughter.
He pleaded with them to let his daughter rest. She was already dead. He asked them not to disturb her body and to allow the family to bury her with dignity.
But my father was standing almost alone.
The people around him insisted that my sister had to be cut before she could be buried. The pressure became overwhelming. My father eventually lost the strength to continue fighting against everyone who had turned against him. He became silent because the in-laws had the final say.
Then they took my sister's body from the coffin and subjected her body to FGM even though she was already dead.
After that, they buried her.
I have carried this memory with me ever since.
What happened to my sister was more than a painful family memory. It showed me how powerful harmful social norms can become when an entire community believes that traditions must be followed, even when those traditions violate human dignity.
My sister could not speak for herself that day.
My father tried to speak for her, but he was overwhelmed by the pressure of the community.
Today, I tell this story because I believe no girl or woman should ever be denied dignity because of whether she has undergone FGM.
šNo dead body should be subjected to FGM.
šNo father should have to stand alone to protect his daughter from a harmful practice.
šAnd no community should fear that abandoning FGM will destroy its future.
šOur traditions should protect our daughters, not harm them.
My sister's story is painful, but I choose to tell it so that another family does not have to experience what mine went through.
We must end FGM; not only for the girls of today, but for every generation that comes after them.
I speak with parents, young people and community members about FGM, teenage pregnancy and early and forced marriage. I encourage people to question harmful beliefs and to understand that protecting our girls does not mean continuing practices that harm them.
My sister could not speak for herself that day, Today, I use my voice for her and for every girl who deserves the right to grow up safe, educated and free from harmful practices.
I believe change is possible. And it begins when we find the courage to speak. "
