The Kikuyu Council of Elders has suspended this year’s circumcision for boys from the community.
The ‘Kiama Kia Maa’ elders said the move is meant to allow the boys to complete Junior Secondary School without disruption.
For years, the community has circumcised boys transiting from primary to secondary but this year, the process has changed following the introduction of the Competency Based Curriculum system.
Next year, those in Grade 8 will proceed to Grade 9, which is still in junior secondary.
Speaking after a meeting with top leaders from the community, the elders urged the church, which is also involved in the rite of passage, to also change their dates.
Council director of culture Kigochi Waimeri said the new learning system has forced the community to change the initiation dates.
He said circumcision in the community means transiting from boyhood to manhood.
“Those boys who will be circumcised this year will return back to primary school [junior secondary] and they won’t change mentally and hence this decision by the community elders,” Kigochi said in Naivasha.
He also termed the ongoing politics coupled with plans to impeach the Deputy President as unhealthy for the country.
“We condemn plans to impeach the DP and the ongoing politics as this has seen infrastructure projects like roads stall. It is time we united and worked hard for this country,” Kigochi said.
Elder Joseph Thiong’o said they support the new curriculum in which boys will spend an extra year in primary school setting.
He was, however, quick to note that the council would not force any boys to forgo this year’s initiation ceremony and this will be left to the families to decide.
“The council has deliberated on the initiation issue for a long time and we have agreed that we allow our boys one more year in primary school before being circumcised next year,” Thiong'o said.
Elder Ng’era Waforo decried rising cases of suicide among the youth in the community, terming the trend as worrying.
“We are calling for a cleansing ceremony on the scenes where these acts were committed be they at home, on trees and rivers as the deaths are worrying,” he said.