Thursday, 4 June, 2026
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Social Protection, chaired by Hon. Alice Ng’ang’a, has questioned the Anti-Female Genital Mutilation Board over its implementation of anti-FGM programmes, raising concerns over expenditure, reporting structures and the impact of community interventions across several counties.
The Board’s Chief Executive Officer, Bernadette Loloju, together with senior management, presented reports on recent activities, including the “My Dear Daughter” campaign, county sensitisation forums and the revitalisation of anti-FGM steering committees in various regions of the country.
The CEO reported that the national launch of the “My Dear Daughter” campaign, conducted in Narok and Kajiado, cost approximately ksh2.169 million, reaching over 500 mothers and engaging community leaders.
However, members of the Committee immediately questioned the lack of granular financial details.
“Can we know how much money you spent on those campaigns? The chairperson asked
Committee members expressed concern over what they termed as “lumped budgeting,” arguing that the figures lacked clarity on individual meetings, participants and cost structures.
Members also turned attention to a supplementary allocation of Sh100 million, questioning how the funds had been utilised within a short period.
“During supplementary budget, we gave the FGM Board 50 million and the ministry itself gave them another 50 million Kenya shillings,” Hon. Alice Ng’ang’a said
The Board indicated that the funds had been incorporated into the work plan, with about half reportedly spent on programme implementation and administrative requirements.
“We gave money for programmes, not maintenance. Yet now you are saying 50 per cent went to vehicles and office upkeep. That is not what Parliament approved,” the Chairperson stated.
The Board also reported spending approximately Ksh 12.596 million on revitalising county and sub-county FGM steering committees across Nyamira, Tharaka Nithi, Marsabit, Isiolo, Taita Taveta and other counties.
However, members questioned the relevance and composition of the committees, especially where elected leaders were reportedly excluded from engagements.
The chairperson raised concern after learning that the woman representative had not been included in county-level activities
“How do you go to a county and leave the elected woman representative out of a meeting on FGM?” she asked
The CEO defended the structure, stating that steering committees follow a policy framework involving county commissioners and departmental heads.
The Committee directed the board to return in the next sitting with a comprehensive breakdown of expenditure, including county-level activity reports, participant details and photographic evidence of all engagements conducted.