Chiefs in Mandera have rescued a student from a planned early marriage and warned the family of dire consequences if the victim drops out of school.
Led by Mandera County Principal Chief Issak Adawa alias Chief Boraw, the administrators warned that action will be taken against the man who was to marry the schoolgirl.
“The victim in this case is a 16-year-old girl who scored 325 marks in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam and her parents wanted her married instead of continuing with her education,” said Mr Adawa.
The principal chief said his office received a report that there were arrangements to marry off a school girl and a follow-up confirmed the report.
‘Booked for marriage’
Chief Boraw said the victim’s father said the girl was only being booked for marriage.
“We were told that the girl was being booked for marriage which will happen after four years but we are not convinced by that explanation from the victims’ father,” he said.
According to the principal chief, the victim will be taken to school by government agencies.
Among the Somalis, a man is allowed to propose to a young girl for future marriage.
“We are working hard as chiefs to deal with such cultural practices in our society. We need to let our children go through the education system uninterrupted,” he said.
Culture
Cultural practices, high poverty levels and peer pressure are cited as factors leading to early marriages in Mandera County.
Gender norms such girls being expected to be virgins before marriage and women bearing many children for their husbands are cited as major drivers of early marriages in the county.
Also, stigma surrounding marrying past a certain age for women in the local community influences decisions to marry early.
In Mandera, unmarried women and girls are stigmatised for not marrying before the age of 18 and their families and partners also experience negative social sanctions.
“A parent with an unmarried girl in his homestead can never be respected by his peers. He is considered a failure in family matters and he cannot be allowed to advise anybody outside his family,” said Ms Abdia Hassan, a resident.
Gender inequality and limited formal education, particularly for girls, are among issues that encourage and sustain child marriages in Mandera.