Drama as Narok police shoot in the air to save man from forced circumcision

Drama ensued in Narok town on Monday after irate boda boda and taxi operators frog-matched and stripped naked a 35-year old taxi driver.

They group atttemted to forcefully circumcise him after he was discovered to be uncircumcised.

According to witnesses, the man only identified as ‘Brown’ is said to have been exhibiting ‘childish’ behaviors eliciting suspicion among his colleagues.

“We recently got a tip off from one of his close friends that he was not circumcised. Ironically he has been insulting people by referring them as ‘kihii’ (uncircumcised). We laid an ambush on him and when we stripped him we confirmed that he was indeed uncircumcised,” said Joseph Kariuki, a boda boda operator.

He told The Standard that they then raised a total of Sh7,000 “circumcision fee” before taking him down to Enkare-Narok river where they washed him in readiness to make him face the ‘cut’.

Their bid to force the man to manhood was thwarted after police fired several shots in the air dispersing the crowd thus saving him from the charged mob.

The residents said they were enraged by failure of the man to undergo the rite of passage as it was against the Kikuyu cultural practices.

"Our culture stipulates that the boy child must be circumcised. This man is an embarrassment and we will stop at nothing until he faces the knife like other men,” said John Ngugi.

Ngugi said it was disappointing that the man was married with two kids yet he was still uncircumcised.

“We will not allow him back to the stage until he is circumcised. His wife deserves better and we are sure he will thank us later,” he said.

Area OCPD Joseph Kisombe said that the man was taken to police custody for safety adding that those behind the torture will face the law.

“We have him in our custody for safety and we are investigating those behind the unlawful act .No one should force the other to undergo circumcision as it is a personal issue,” said Mr Kisombe.