Peer-reviewed article

Forced early marriage: Maasai girls' education Kenya

Stella Louku · 9 Jul 2025

Abstract

Forced child marriage and limited access to education remain significant challenges for Maasai girls in Kenya and is deeply entrenched in cultural traditions and economic factors. In Kenya, 4% of girls are married before age 15, and 23% before age 18. Among the Maasai community in Kenya and Tanzania, over 60% of girls are married off before their eighteenth birthday. Despite the introduction of free primary education in Kenya in 2003, only 48% of Maasai girls enroll in school, and just 10% progress to secondary education. The practice of forced early marriage is primarily sustained by Maasai culture, where girls are often viewed as transient members of their families, to be married off in return for wealth, typically in the form of livestock. This cultural view, combined with poverty and a preference for educating boys, severely limits the educational opportunities available to Maasai girls. The objectives of this study include examining the negative outcomes of forced early marriage on Maasai girls’ education, analyzing how education can prevent forced early marriage and what the government of Kenya should do to help. This study adopts Human Capital Theory by Gary Becker and Theodore Schultz, which asserts that education and skill development are investments that improve individual productivity, income, and life outcomes. Studying employs a qualitative methodology, and the information is examined using Michel Foucault's critical discourse analysis.