by Steven Muchira

Created on: November 09, 2010   Last Updated: November 10, 2010

Male Circumcision In Kenya

Amongst Kenyan ethnic communities, circumcision is an examination one must pass to become an adult. A Kahii (an uncircumcised man) lacks wisdom to get a wife and raise a family. Members of the few communities, like the Luo of western Kenya, who do not have to be circumcised, are considered immature regardless of age. Most Tribes that circumcise boys, also circumcise their girls.

These initiation rituals generally take from October through December. These ceremonies are very important to many Kenyan communities as they signify a child's acceptance in the tribe and his or her place in the adult community within the tribe. The initiation takes place anywhere from age 8 or 9 to age 17 or 18 depending on the tribe. Some tribes do one set of initial rites as young as 5 or 6 and then another set when the child is in his or her teens.

Before the actual day of circumcision the boys generally go through a ceremony. This can last from one to several days depending on the tribe. This include boys going around the villages singing songs while naked.

On the day of the circumcision, the boys are woken up early and taken to bathe at the river, when water is very cold. This is done to reduce the amount of pain the boy will endure during the cut.

Many boys are usually circumcised one at a time. The knife, razor or a sharp tool is used on each boy. The use of unsterlized knife or razor was bringing health problems including AIDS. It is a source of pride for these boys to be circumcised with the same knife as his peers. Slowly, people are being educated on the dangers of using an unsterilized knife and the rituals are changing to accommodate the new practice.

During the circumcision the boys are encouraged not to cry out to show that they are truly men. Some tribes would have their tribesmen holding spears toward the boy being circumcised as a threat not to flinch or cry out. The boy would also be told that if he did show signs of pain he would be killed. They felt that if a boy showed pain then he would not make a good warrior.

After circumcision the circumcised boys are isolated far away from their villages to rest and relax for a period of time. During this time the boys are taught the tribal history and traditions. In some communities like the Maasai a newly circumcised boy would kill a lion as a sign of a good warrior. The older men cook alot of traditional foods for boys so that the wound can heal faster.

After the healing process, the boys are taken back to the village where the elderly men welcome them. Bulls are slaughtered and a big feast is held to welcome the new adults. From this point onwards the circumcised man can start looking for a woman to marry. In some communities like the Ameru, a circumcised man was not supposed to marry an uncircumcised woman.

Christian missionaries and other Westerners have invariably looked down on circumcision, of both men and women but especially of women, as being repugnant. Given the Christian belief that the body is the temple of God, this apparent act of mutilation was seen - and still is seen - as sacrilege. And thus, with their typical open-mindedness, the ceremonies that surrounded circumcision were condemned by the missionaries to be heathen and anti-Christian.

The circumcision rituals are slowly dying out and are being replaced with more modern techniques of circumcision. If a boy is near a large city anesthesia may be used.

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