Kisii County Women Representative Donya Dorice Toto Aburi spoke at Plan International Kenya's International Day of the Girl #EndChildMarriage Storytelling Forum on October 14, 2025, at Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club, Nairobi.

Plan International Kenya organized the forum with the theme "Let me be a child, NOT a wife" to amplify girls' voices and explore lived experiences of married or partnered girls facing intersecting forms of marginalization such as disability, displacement, minority status, or poverty. The organization has operated in Kenya since 1982 across 12 counties including Nairobi, Machakos, Kajiado, Kisumu, and Marsabit.

Donya spoke alongside the Directorate of Children's Services for Kisii and First Lady Marsabit County H.E. Alamitu Guyo. The forum also featured the launch of the Kenya Policy Brief on CEFMU (Child, Early, and Forced Marriage and Unions) and The East Africa Law Journal publication "After the Law: From Legislative Level action to end Child Marriage in Kenya".

FGM Awareness Gap

Donya explained that when she came to Parliament asking questions, she was referred to the Sexual Offenses Act 2006, which raised eyebrows because the Act didn't factor in awareness.

She emphasized that 90% of problems are solved when people are informed. Parents continue the practice because it was done to them, without understanding why.

Teen Pregnancy Crisis

Teen pregnancy has superseded FGM as per current ratings and is very high in most parts of the country.

Mentorship Programs

Women representatives have funds allocated to hold mentorship programs. Donya visits schools to educate both girls and boys about gender-based violence and sexual offenses.

Addressing Poverty

Child marriage stems from poverty and cultural practices. Donya referenced government initiatives like lowering fertilizer prices to increase food production, allowing farmers to sell crops and educate their children. She urged youth to apply for the Youth Empowerment Fund and access Ministry of Economic and Social Affairs resources.

Women representatives are pushing the Ministry of Gender to release sanitary pads to girls to prevent transactional relationships.

Condoms: Pragmatic Reality

When asked about condom distribution and church opposition, Donya responded directly.

She explained that her bill focuses on awareness first, teaching youth right from wrong.

The COVID-19 Comparison

The 254 Report asked: "You compared sex education to COVID-19 awareness. Are you suggesting that sexual education should be treated as a public health mandate, just like a pandemic?"

Donya answered: With teen pregnancy rates rising from 48 to 50 to 60, education is needed.

She criticized Kenya's tendency to hide uncomfortable truths.

She noted that some judges say "Stop teaching us bad morals," yet young people "know more than our mothers, more than our fathers. They know all the things, and although they want them, they know them, but we shy from talking about it".

Moving Forward

Donya stated she will not rest and will work day and night on her bill. She advocates for treating sexual health education with the same seriousness as COVID-19 public health campaigns.

Let Me Be a Child, Not a Wife: Ending Child Marriage in Kenya

Child marriage remains one of Kenya's most pressing human rights challenges, robbing girls of their childhood, education, and future opportunities. The International Day of the Girl storytelling forum organized by Plan International Kenya brought together survivors, policymakers, and advocates to share lived experiences and chart a path forward toward ending this harmful practice.

The Reality Behind the Statistics

Kenya has made significant progress, with child marriage rates declining from 26.4% in 2009 to approximately 13% by 2022. However, these national figures mask stark regional disparities that reveal the depth of the challenge. Northern counties identified as hotspots (Turkana, Mandera, and Samburu) have experienced rates exceeding 43%. The Northern region shows rates as high as 56%, followed by coastal areas at 41%.

Among ethnic groups, the disparities are even more pronounced. Sixty-four percent of Pokot girls, 54% of Rendille girls, and 38% of Somali girls marry before age 18. These statistics represent real lives interrupted, dreams deferred, and potential unrealized.

Remarkably, Turkana County reduced its child marriage rate from 57% in 2009 to just 8% by 2019, despite having the highest poverty rate in Kenya at 82.7%. This dramatic reduction suggests that targeted interventions addressing education access and infrastructure can overcome even severe economic constraints.

Voices from the Ground

The forum centered survivor stories that illuminated the human cost of child marriage. Justinta from Kajiado West nearly became a bride at 14 when her father, struggling to support nine siblings, almost traded her future for four to five cattle. Thanks to her father listening to her pleas and the intervention of well-wishers, she attended Olo Tikoshi Girls Rescue Center, completed high school, and eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in finance. Today, she works to rescue other girls from similar fates in the remotest parts of Kajiado.

Sabiao from Dukana, Marsabit County represents the seven women of the Stepbystep Women Group, all declared outcasts by their families for resisting early marriage. These women have children but receive no contact from relatives, cannot make a single phone call to family members, and survive by selling miraa. Sabiao, a Form Four graduate with a three-year-old child, attempted to seek justice against a police officer who fathered her child, but the journey from Dukana to Marsabit takes a full day and costs money she doesn't have.

The chairperson of the Anti-FGM Board shared her own journey, emerging as the best girl in Narok County with 573 out of 700 marks, only to undergo FGM immediately after completing class 8. With no money for high school, she married at 14 to a man nearly 40 years her senior. After 17 years as a housewife, she pursued adult education, eventually earning her KCSE certificate at an adult learning center while pregnant, and today leads national efforts against FGM.

Root Causes

Poverty emerges as the most significant driver of child marriage. Families view marriage as economic security, a means of settling debts, or relief from the financial burden of raising daughters. During conflicts and humanitarian crises, when families lose livelihoods, child marriage rates increase as parents seek to ease financial burdens or protect girls from heightened threats of sexual and physical violence.

Deeply rooted cultural norms persist where customary law competes with statutory law. In communities practicing female genital mutilation, the two practices intertwine. Girls who undergo FGM face social sanctions if they don't marry, including exclusion from communal resources and ceremonies. The forum heard that in some northern communities, it's old men who decide girls' futures, and the Maasai codes still exist despite judicial systems and children's officers.

Education barriers compound the problem. Parents in Dukana literally leave girls at school when it opens because the distance from their manyatta to school is 7-8 hours by foot, costing around 1,000 shillings. The dormitories have no lights, no food, no water, and inadequate security where anyone can walk in at night. Lack of menstrual hygiene supplies makes girls vulnerable. One girl sponsored by Equity Bank Kenya's Wings to Fly program dropped out after six months and became pregnant because the school didn't provide monthly sanitation supplies.

Legal Framework

Kenya enacted comprehensive legislation in 2014, aligning its marriage laws with the Constitution through the Marriage Act, which establishes 18 as the minimum age for marriage. The legal framework includes the Children Act 2022, the Sexual Offenses Act, and the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act.

Notably, Kenya's laws meet the standards set by African human rights treaties, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Maputo Protocol, which specify 18 as the minimum marriage age. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and CEDAW do not specify a minimum age, leaving it to countries to determine.

Member of Parliament Honorable Dorice Donya announced that a bill is before parliament to amend the Sexual Offenses Act, which will mandate the Ministry of Education to conduct awareness on harmful practices from early childhood level and engage the Ministry of Interior so chiefs can help with enforcement.

Enforcement Challenges

The forum repeatedly emphasized that Kenya's challenge is not a lack of laws but their implementation at the community level. Justice Helen Nami, representing the Chief Justice, acknowledged that having strong laws is insufficient. The true measure lies in translating legal protection into lived experiences.

Access to justice remains a significant barrier. From remote areas like Dukana, reaching courts in Marsabit requires a full day's journey at considerable cost. Corruption of community and religious leaders, delayed prosecutions, and lack of clear referral pathways for rescued girls compound the challenges.

Lack of clear referral pathways emerged as a critical gap. Justinta described rescuing a 13-year-old girl from child marriage but having nowhere to take her because she has no job or money, though Plan International helped connect with organizations like KAR Rescue and KenSwed.

Inadequate data collection makes monitoring interventions difficult. The national child helpline 116 reports various protection cases but doesn't consistently track child marriage cases. The helpline operated for only two years (2017 and 2019) with specific child marriage data before discontinuing routine tracking.

Evidence-Based Interventions

Research from the University of Nairobi Faculty of Law identifies girls' secondary education as the most critical investment. Targeted support must include not just fee subsidies but practical assistance with clothing, sanitation, and improved school infrastructure. The Tuseme Sichana program by the Forum for African Women Educationalists in Turkana demonstrated success by addressing these comprehensive needs.

School re-entry programs require substantial investment beyond policy statements. Having a re-entry policy alone is insufficient without financing and practical support mechanisms to help girls who have been married or become pregnant return to education.

Targeted economic support through cash transfer programs shows promise when directed at families with adolescent girls aged 12-17. Studies reviewing multiple initiatives found that economic support to families in this demographic delays pregnancy and marriage while enabling school completion.

Male engagement has become a priority intervention. The State Department for Gender is working with Maasai communities in Samburu and Narok to engage men and boys as allies. Recognition that men are custodians of culture drives this approach, acknowledging that sustainable change requires their participation.

Judiciary's Role

The judiciary has established specialized structures including the Family Division of the High Court, children's courts, and gender justice courts to create safe spaces where cases involving children can be handled with sensitivity and speed. Court Users Committees bring together judges, magistrates, probation officers, police, chiefs, and civil society representatives to coordinate timely responses for children at risk.

The judiciary has issued strong pronouncements against cultural practices that undermine girls' dignity, including FGM, child marriage, and exploitation. November has been designated as Judiciary Service Month, when all courts focus on clearing backlogs of children's cases. Technology integration helps track cases to ensure children in statutory institutions don't stay longer than the law's six-month maximum.

Government Commitment

The State Department for Children Services announced plans to undertake a national survey on harmful practices including child marriage to generate evidence strengthening interventions. A National Strategic Framework to End Harmful Practices for 2025-2030 is in development.

Government programs from 2019-2024 included the "See It, Stop It" campaign on violence against children. The Anti-FGM Board chairperson confirmed that President Ruto fulfilled his campaign promise to fund anti-FGM programs, enabling expanded reach.

The National Gender Inequality Commission operates equality technical working groups in 37 counties, aiming to expand to all 47. These groups conduct public education and sensitization while providing oversight on discriminatory matters.

Community-Level Action

Plan International Kenya works through youth-led and women-led organizations in 12 counties, sub-granting funding to grassroots organizations that understand their communities. These implementers work in informal settlements like Kibera, Mukuru, and Mathare, as well as remote areas along the Kenya-Sudan border.

The First Lady of Marsabit County, through the Mama Guyo Foundation's Gadis Gamme program, has reached over 3,500 girls across Marsabit County with knowledge, mentorship, and confidence to make informed choices. The program trains girls on the dangers of FGM and tackles teen pregnancies. This December, the program plans to reach 200 girls in Moyale County when the risk of child marriage is highest during school holidays.

Honorable Donya proposed practical solutions including billboards displaying the helpline number 116 or 1195 for reporting violence, and suggestion books in schools where girls can anonymously share experiences of abuse by teachers, subordinate staff, or relatives. She emphasized the need for comprehensive sexuality education, noting that hiding from difficult conversations leaves girls vulnerable.

Path Forward

The forum repeatedly emphasized that conferences in Nairobi boardrooms must translate into action in remote villages where girls face decisions about their futures daily. As one organizer stated, "We need to have honest conversations today so that we walk the talk, both CSOs, youth-led organizations, and government".

Kenya's experience demonstrates that change is possible when interventions simultaneously tackle economic pressure and social norms rather than addressing them separately. The Turkana story proves that targeted action addressing education access, infrastructure, and practical support can achieve dramatic reductions even in contexts of extreme poverty.

Investment in law enforcement at the local level, combined with economic empowerment of families with adolescent girls, creates conditions where girls can resist community pressure to marry early. Every sector must challenge harmful social and cultural norms: individuals, civil society, lawmakers, and decision makers.

The forum concluded with this call to action: ending child marriage requires cross-sectional approaches and increased targeted investment from international donors and government. Government must provide adequate support for child mothers during and after pregnancy, ensure access to quality inclusive education, and help married girls and child mothers re-enter the education system. Children and young people must be recognized and supported as partners and agents of change.

To report violence against children, call the national helpline: 116 or 1195