The answer is deeply rooted in tradition, and the stark brutality of the act is readily justified through culture. Ironically, the result may be the reverse. The headmistress of a girls' boarding school in Kajiado, Priscilla Nangurai, says the school loses 10 to 20 young girls a year who become pregnant after being circumcised. It is not in our culture to refuse a man. Unlike Somali and other Muslim cultures that circumcise to preserve virginity around the age of seven, the Masai circumcise girls at puberty as an important initiation into the tribe.
Circumcision is considered the most significant rite of passage to adulthood.
It is said to enhance tribal and social cohesion, increase a girl's marriage opportunities, and increase a father's status within the community. It is a passage from childhood to adulthood. According to World Health Organization estimates, at least 100 million women in 26 countries in Africa have had to pay a high price for their identity. And even in its mildest forms, female genital mutilation poses serious health risks. The type of genital mutilation most common among the Masai and Samburu tribes is excision, where the clitoris and the adjacent parts of the labia minora are removed.