Parents angry after boarding school takes pupils for cut

There was outrage at a boarding primary school after dozens of pupils were circumcised without their parents’ consent.

However, some parents of Shikomari Primary School welcomed the move and even wished the non-governmental organisation behind the initiative could also take their other children for the cut.

The children, who underwent the cut on Thursday last week, were told to go and recover at home, disrupting their preparations for end-of-term exams.

Joseph Owino, a parent, received information while at work that he was required at school to pick his two children.

“I was shocked and left immediately to inquire more from the school administration, but the teachers were hostile. I am so disappointed because we entrust teachers with our children and they should inform us of any challenge arising in school and even let parents sign an agreement in such a situation,” Owino said.

Reached Consensus

“According to our culture, we are not supposed to circumcise, unless both parties have agreed and it must be voluntary. There is a case of a child who has been denied by the father because he was not informed.”

Rhoda Eboya said the incident happened when her husband was not around and she is now being blamed.

“My husband has told me to take up responsibility over the seven-year-old since I did not inform him of the matter,” she said.

Lydia Otieno, a mother of two children at the school, wants the Ministry of Education to intervene.

“My children aged nine and 12 have been circumcised by an organisation not known to us and we do not know whether the instruments used were sterilised and safe for our children. When I arrived in the school, I found the nine-year-old boy bleeding, crying and not able to walk and his private part swollen,” Mrs Otieno said.

She said the children are now at home, while their classmates are sitting the end-of-term examinations. Mrs Otieno said she does not have money to pay for their medication or feed them as required.

School head-teacher John Andalo said, however, that parents were consulted and those complaining are being used by people with ill motives. He said parents were invited and they talked directly to the nurse who was conducting the exercise.

“They reached a consensus before their children were circumcised. The programme was initiated by the Ministry of Health and the school was only used as an entry point to reach many children. The community is also aware, as children were instructed to inform their parents,” Andalo said.

He said the children were accompanied by two parents to the nearby Makunga clinic who brought them back to school in the evening after the exercise and they are currently sitting their examinations. He said learning was not interrupted. Mr Andalo, however, declined to divulge any information about the NGO and the number that underwent the cut.

Joseph Omondi, one of the parents who accompanied the boys to the clinic, welcomed the move, saying it saved him the cost of having his three children circumcised.

County Education Director Susan Murerwa could not be reached for comment as her phone went unanswered.