In Tikit Village, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was never spoken about in whispers. It was spoken of as duty. A rite of passage. A responsibility quietly handed down from one generation to the next. For years, Repeep was one of the women families trusted when it was time for their daughters to undergo “the cut.” Mothers came to her in confidence. Fathers relied on her discretion. In her community, she was not seen as causing harm, she was seen as preserving tradition.
At the time, Repeep believed she was doing the right thing.
“I thought I was helping families. I thought I was protecting our culture,” she says quietly. “No one told me I was harming children.”
FGM was rarely questioned. It happened mostly during school holidays, when girls were home and the risk of outside scrutiny was low. Families feared social rejection. Parents worried about their daughters being excluded from marriage or community life. And women like Repeep carried the weight of expectation.
When the Komesha FGM Sasa! programme reached Tikit Village, conversations that had long been avoided were finally brought into the open. Community forums, household dialogues, and sensitization meetings created space for honest discussion.
For the first time, Repeep sat among parents, elders, and young people, not as a cutter, but as a listener.
She learned about the severe health consequences of FGM. She heard about the psychological trauma. She listened to survivors speak about the pain that followed them into adulthood, into marriage, into childbirth, into every stage of life.
“That is when it broke me,” she says. “I saw that the pain does not end on the day of cutting. It follows girls for years.”
The realization was painful. But it was also powerful. Repeep made a decision: she would never cut another girl again. Today, in the very same community where she once carried out FGM, Repeep stands with empty hands and a determined voice.
“I no longer use the blade,” she tells community members during dialogue sessions. “I use my voice so that no girl has to go through what I helped cause.”
Through activities facilitated by Blossom Beyond Borders CBO and supported by the Komesha FGM Project, she now speaks during barazas, household visits, and public forums. She challenges long-held beliefs and urges families to rethink traditions that harm children.
Her message is simple: culture should never harm a child. Because she once practiced FGM herself, people listen. Elders listen. Mothers listen. Fathers lean in.
One parent shared after a session
“When Repeep spoke, I believed her. If someone who used to cut can stop, then we can protect our daughters.”
Through the Komesha FGM Sasa! Project, supported by the European Union in Kenya through UNFPA Kenya and implemented by ActionAid Kenya in partnership with organizations like Blossom Beyond Borders, change is steadily taking root in Tikit and surrounding villages. Girls identified as at risk are being protected through early intervention, and community members are now speaking openly about FGM instead of hiding it. Cultural, religious, and male champions in Pokot Central have come together and pledged to end FGM.
Even Repeep herself now reports suspected cases and warns families against cutting.
“I cannot undo my past,” she says. “But I can make sure it does not repeat itself.”
Ending FGM is not only about stopping a practice. It is about changing hearts, challenging beliefs, and choosing courage over conformity.
Repeep’s journey shows that transformation is possible, even in communities where FGM once felt untouchable. When people are engaged with honesty, accountability, and compassion, change takes root.
As the world marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM on 6th February 2026, Repeep’s voice now stands where the blade once did; protecting girls, challenging harmful norms, and proving that redemption can become resistance.
“Let my story be a warning and a hope,” she says.
“No tradition is worth a child’s pain.”
Author: Jamas Murray. Blossoms beyond boarders Community Based Organisation (CBO), West Pokot County
Edited:Ezra Kiriago ,Communications Coordinator ActionAid Kenya