[Photo: Courtesy]

For the Kalenjin, November and December are the months when boys become men.

Kiplagat Kogo, an elder who presides over traditional circumcision ceremonies, says the rite of passage targets 15-18-year-old boys.

He however says because of religion, more parents are opting to have their sons circumcised in hospitals because traditional circumcision is ‘unclean’.

“Religions have forced some believers to embrace modern ways of initiating their sons into adulthood, while others remain conservative,” says Kogo.

As a result, two antagonistic groups have emerged pitting traditional purists against born-again Christians with divergent views on the rite of passage.

In Kapkwiss, Soy sub-county, for instance, two divergent groups engaged in a fight that led to the killing of 22-year-old man. Several people were injured.

“Those who are culturally initiated perceive themselves superior to those who go through church-sanctioned circumcision ceremonies like ‘Emoo’,” Kogo explained.

So big is the rift that those whose initiation is guided by religion are discriminated against and are not considered worthy to chair a baraza la wazee. 

Michael Kibor, a resident of Uasin Gishu, says because of stigma, some Kalenjins who shunned tradition and got circumcised in hospital, later get influenced by peers to undergo traditional rite of passage for which they have to pay something small.

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Kogo acknowledges that there are many local leaders, including assistant chiefs, who were forced to go through cultural rituals and train on ethnic beliefs and norms to gain the respect of the community.

A 28-year-old man from Eldoret who sought anonymity said he secretly underwent cultural initiation to be accepted among his peers in school.

“I was shunned and ridiculed by my classmates. They would converse in parables in my presence, and because I had no idea what they were talking about, my self-esteem was affected to the point where I couldn’t even speak out.”

But Rev Noah Mengich of Anglican Church of Kenya says traditional initiations have been overtaken by events, and that churches are stepping in to reform families and youth because morals in society have gone south.

Mengich however added that people are free to choose what to believe in and that those initiated through tradition or religion must respect each other and coexist peacefully as members of one community.

“As a church, we want to bring the two groups together to respect and recognise their diversity. We also urge the youth to embrace education because this will make them equal as opposed to beliefs that divide them,” said the church leader.                   

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