Helen, not her real name, said her parents forced her to marry her first 'husband' in his mid 60s, immediately after undergoing the female cut at Embositit rural village in Tirioko ward, northern border of Baringo and Turkana Counties.
"She must have been barely eight years then, because I rescued her in September 2017 when she proclaimed to have already been married to three elderly men" her 34-year old rescuer Judy Kimeu, the wife of missionary David, said.
They are currently putting up temporarily at Deaf and Blind Rehabilitation centre in Kabarnet town, where they were rushed to for safety on Sunday
The incident occured just when the schools are about to close for the August holiday.
Helen is among 22 pokot girls who were rescued from the ongoing forceful FGM and early marriages.
The girls hail from Kangiruru, Loyamoi, Embositit, Chepkirial, Akoret and Kongor rural villages in Tiaty Sub-county.
Baringo is inhabited by Pokot, Tugen and Ilchamus pastoral communities whose common source of livelihood depends on livestock.
"After listening to their disheartening experiences I decided to offer them a place here at rehabilitation to put up temporarily but they are really in desperate need of an urgent humanitarian help" the institution's principal Salina Binot said.
The girls are aged between 8 and 13 years and were learning in various rural schools between standard one and seven.
They could not communicate in English or Kiswahili due to illiteracy so they only communicate in their local pokot dialect.
Three old men
Hellen, could not control her tears while narrating her marriage ordeal to journalists who visited them at the centre on Wednesday.
"I am just a minor and could not manage well the roles of a wife so the old man(husband) assigned me to look after his cattle and goats" she said adding that she faced a thorough beating like a dog whenever she lost one or two animals in the bush.
She further narrates that she received a harsh reception from her parents back at home when she decided to run away from her habitually wild-old 'suitor'.
"I was again forced to marry a second husband who did similar atrocities...worst of all is how I lost my virginity to a camel-size bodily object he penetrated through me, I feared sharing this innocent experience with my hostile mother" explained the girl who looked down as she was overwhelmed with shyness.
She further said the wound created after the cut is yet to heal, "so I had to ran away but my merciless parents got hold of me again and forced me to get marry a third husband of similar age" Helen said.
Apart from escaping early marriages the girl's health is also not stable as she fights deadly Kal-azer diseases.
"Although the girls are in school but my challenge is where to hide them during holidays from their parents and brothers who want them cut and married off to get wealth in form of dowry” she said.
She therefore appeals to people of goodwill to come and help place the girls in good boarding schools begging probably next term.
-Joseph Kangogo