The Kikuyu Council of Elders has condemned an incident where a newly circumcised boy was tortured and left for the dead in Mai Mahiu, Naivasha.
The elders council through ‘Kiama Kia Maa’ called for stiff action on all those involved.
This came as it emerged that three suspects including the minor’s stepmother would be charged in court with attempted murder in regards to the incident.
Speaking after visiting the minor at Naivasha Su County Hospital, the elders through their national patron Captain Kung’u Muigai distanced the community from the act.
Muigai lauded police for moving fast to arrest the three suspects soon after the incident adding that anyone found committing such an incident should face the full wrath of the law.
Addressing the press in the hospital, he noted that the Kikuyu elders across the country had circumcised over 10,000 boys with only two cases of bulldozing reported.
“We only had another similar incident in Gatundu and the suspects have been arrested and this is one of the most evil acts that I have seen,” he said.
Flanked by Kikuyu elders, he challenged political leaders from Central Kenya to support the ongoing initiation ceremony for boys.
He lauded Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi as the only leader who had embraced the exercise and supported hundreds of boys.
“We are calling on our leaders to support the ongoing initiation of boys by the elders as this is their duty and not that of the church,” he said.
On her part, Naivasha MP Jane Kihara lauded the medics for saving the life of the boy who was in great pain when he was brought in.
She called on parents to be careful about who was mentoring their minors, noting that the Mai Mahiu incident was an eye-opener to many.
“The suspects even forced the minor to eat his vomit which is unthinkable and there are so many questions that the step-mother has not answered,” she said.
Since the weekend incident, police have arrested the stepmother, the victims’ half-brother and the main suspect who was supposed to mentor the boy.
The three were arraigned in Naivasha law courts but police applied for seven days to hold them as they completed their investigations and allowed the boy to heal so that he could record a statement.