Anti-FGM Board hit by claims of unremitted SHA, Helb and NSSF deductions

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

What you need to know:

- Anti-FGM Board faces questions over expenditure, staff deductions and use of supplementary funds.

- Staff seek EACC probe into statutory deductions, procurement and alleged favouritism at Anti-FGM Board.

In November 2025, Maasai elders from Kajiado and Narok declared a historic end to female genital mutilation (FGM), committing to protecting girls and ensuring equal community blessings and social inclusion for both circumcised and uncircumcised young women.

Representing 17 sub-clans, Maasai cultural leaders and councils of elders formally announced that FGM had to stop, during an event in Suswa. They decreed that uncut girls and women would hold an equal and rightful place in the community, allowing them to freely participate in traditional ceremonies without discrimination or stigma.

The bold decision was good news and a major boost in the fight against FGM, as Narok and Kajiado are two of Kenya’s 22 hotspot counties. Elders are perceived to hold immense power as custodians of culture. The event was organised by the Anti-FGM Board, a state agency mandated to eliminate the vice.

Complaints

However, the board is now at the centre of a complaint by some of its members of staff who have raised the alarm over its expenditure, and hiring and promotion of staff. Documents seen by the Nation show that the elders were paid Sh11,000 each in November last year during the Maasai Declaration in Suswa. In total, the board used Sh720,000 to cater for allowances for elders and staff at the event.

In Kuria, documents show that the police, children’s officer and a deputy county commissioner were paid more than Sh630,000 for anti-FGM surveillance during the 2024 December school holidays. An internal memo in the Nation’s possession, sent to the board’s chief executive officer by the programmes department, shows that 20 police officers were paid Sh630,000 for 30 days, while the children’s officer and the deputy county commissioner each received Sh90,000, with the sub-county police commander getting Sh30,000 for coordinating the surveillance.

“The purpose of this memo is to request your approval of Sh640,000 being facilitation for police officers who will be involved on rescue missions and patrols, the children’s officer who will take a leading role in transitioning girls at risk to rescue centres and reintegrating them into the community, and the DCC (deputy county commissioner) and OCPD (officer commanding police division) who will be coordinating the entire process,” reads part of the memo.

The aggrieved staff argue that the police and administrators did not deserve the money because that is the work they were employed to do and for which they are provided with government resources. They have lodged complaints with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, alleging that for several months, deductions for the Social Health Authority (SHA), Pay As You Earn, National Social Security Fund, Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) and Affordable Housing Levy have continued to appear on employees’ payslips, but some of these deductions were reportedly not remitted to the relevant institutions.

They claim the consequences have been severe, with access to healthcare being affected after SHA coverage became inactive despite payroll deductions having been made. In their letter, a staff member who currently has a dependent in hospital says he has been compelled to personally meet substantial medical expenses because the cover is inactive.

The employees fear that non-remittance of statutory dues will expose them to tax complications, interrupted pension contribution records, loan repayment defaults, statutory penalties and other financial consequences, despite having fulfilled their obligations through payroll deductions. “Management has reportedly informed staff that funds were unavailable to remit the deducted statutory amounts. This explanation has heightened concerns because the deductions had already been recovered from employees’ salaries,” reads the letter to the EACC.

Helb has sent an SMS to one of the staff members over non-payment of loan. “Dear ... your Helb loan remains unpaid despite reminders. We shall be engaging your guarantors and debt recovery agents within 14 days at your expense,” reads the message.

Besides non-remittance of deductions, the staff allege that recruitment, promotion, deployment and other administrative decisions have consistently failed to comply with the constitutional principles of fairness, transparency, merit and equal opportunity, a situation they want the EACC to investigate. “We are concerned that only staff related to the bosses or coming from their ethnic groups are promoted and given the chance to travel to the field for assignments,” an employee told the Nation.

Admission of delayed remittance

Anti-FGM Board acting chief executive officer Nyerere Kutwa, in an interview with the Nation, admitted that there had been delays in the remittance of statutory deductions due to what he termed the closure of the financial year in June.

“It is true there have been delays in the remittance of statutory deductions, but I am happy to say that all deductions, including from the July salaries, have been paid. We have learned the hard way and going forward we will be more careful in complying with the requirements. The staff can now access SHA without any problems,” he said.

Mr Nyerere, however, denied that the delayed remittance had spanned several months, dismissing the allegations as untrue. He defended the payment of hefty allowances to elders, police and government officers, saying they covered transport and lunch reimbursements.

“The elders travelled from as far as Magadi in Kajiado and we had to cater for their transport, accommodation and lunch. In Kuria, we had to pay police officers and other government officers, otherwise they would not have agreed to undertake the surveillance during the school holidays. We had to do that to ensure our girls are safe,” he said.

He further denied allegations of nepotism and favouritism in promotions, hiring and fieldwork assignments, saying the organisation is guided by a non-discrimination policy.

The staff, for their part, want the EACC to investigate whether the board’s funds have been managed strictly in accordance with the Public Finance Management Act and other applicable laws, and whether statutory deductions from their pay were utilised only for their intended purposes pending remittance.

They also want the commission to probe whether procurement processes have consistently complied with the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act and whether there are transactions that may require examination to establish possible overpricing, lack of competition or other procurement irregularities.

The staff are questioning why, despite having a supplementary budget of Sh100 million and a quarterly allocation from the Treasury of Sh46 million, their finance department tabled a statement to the board showing pending bills of Sh13 million for the same period.

Lawmakers take board to task

In June, the board was put on the spot over its implementation of anti-FGM programmes, raising concerns over expenditure, reporting structures and the impact of community interventions across several counties. The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Social Protection, chaired by Thika MP Alice Ng’ang’a, questioned the lack of detailed financial information on the My Dear Daughter Campaign and other programmes aimed at ending FGM.

The lawmakers expressed concern over what they termed “lumped budgeting”, arguing that the figures lacked clarity on individual meetings, participants and cost structures of the FGM campaigns. “What we need is granular financial details. We need to know how much money the board has spent on these campaigns to end FGM,” she said.

However, in a response to the committee’s queries, the board defended a Sh2.169 million expenditure for the national launch of the My Dear Daughter campaign. According to the board, the programme reached more than 500 mothers and engaged local leaders in Narok and Kajiado. The campaign was launched last year and collects pledges from parents to protect their daughters. It invites mothers, elders, fathers, brothers, survivors, uncles, and aunts to publicly commit to abandoning FGM and protecting girls’ rights to bodily integrity, education and dignity.

The campaign also entails a commitment by elders from the 22 FGM hotspot counties to denounce FGM, affirm equal treatment and blessings for all girls, and embrace alternative rites of passage. It involves FGM survivors who have joined community efforts to end the retrogressive practice. It aims to ensure survivors’ mothers end the outlawed practice through awareness forums. Mothers are required to write letters to their daughters about FGM, vowing not to allow them to be cut.

Sh100 million supplementary allocation

The MPs have also put the board on the spot over a supplementary allocation of Sh100 million, with the committee questioning how the funds were utilised in such a short period. “During the supplementary budget, we gave the Anti-FGM Board Sh50 million, and the Ministry of Gender itself gave them another Sh50 million. We gave money for programmes, not maintenance. The board is now saying that 50 per cent went to vehicles and office upkeep. That is not what Parliament approved,” Ms Ng’ang’a added.

The board, however, insists the funds had been incorporated into the work plan, with about half reportedly spent on programme implementation and administrative requirements.

Outgoing chief executive officer Bernadette Loloju declined to comment on the queries by the parliamentary committee, saying she is transitioning. “Let me not comment on anything for now. I am in transition,” she told the Nation.

Ms Loloju’s two terms as CEO have come to an end. The board has since advertised the CEO position, inviting eligible Kenyans to apply.

The MPs challenged the Sh12.596 million spent on revitalising county and sub-county anti-FGM steering committees, citing a lack of clarity on their composition. However, the board defended the structure, stating that steering committees follow a policy framework involving county commissioners and departmental heads.

Already, the board has revitalised county and sub-county FGM steering committees across Nyamira, Tharaka Nithi, Marsabit, Isiolo and Taita Taveta, among other counties. The parliamentary committee questioned the relevance and composition of the committees, especially where elected leaders were reportedly excluded from engagements.

Ms Ng’ang’a raised concern after learning that women representatives had not been included in county-level activities, including anti-FGM meetings. The board coordinates interventions in 22 priority hotspot counties, including Narok, Kajiado, Marsabit, Isiolo, Nyamira, Tharaka Nithi and Taita Taveta.

The board is a semi-autonomous government agency established in December 2013 following the enactment of the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, 2011.

It is among other agencies tasked with designing, supervising and coordinating public awareness programmes against female genital mutilation. It is also responsible for advising the government on matters relating to FGM and designing and formulating policies on the planning, financing and coordination of all activities relating to the outlawed practice.

The board is also mandated to offer technical and other support to institutions, agencies and other bodies engaged in programmes aimed at eradicating female genital mutilation.

Reporting originally appeared via Nation Africa. Read the full source for additional context.