- Kaluma drew parallels with Raila's averment that circumcision is nothing more than a borrowed religious practice.
- "Those who use circumcision to gauge leadership skills are fools," Raila said on Monday while speaking in Teso North during a meeting with area leadership.
Image: FILE
The issue of male circumcision has continued to stir emotions in the country with Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma saying it's an ancient tradition practised by those in the lineage of Biblical Abraham.
The debate about the practice was sparked off by Azimio leader Raila Odinga on Monday with the opposition chief stating that circumcision does not correlate with an individual's leadership capacity.
"Those who use circumcision to gauge leadership skills are fools," Raila said while speaking in Teso North during a meeting with area leadership.
Raila said circumcision was introduced in Kenya to the Bantus through religion, but even then, Bantus in DRC, Cameroon and South Africa do not circumcise.
He said the practice should not be viewed as a matter of life and death and that "anyone that takes circumcision seriously is a fool".
Kaluma concurred with the sentiments and drew parallels with Raila's averment that circumcision is nothing more than a borrowed religious practice.
"Circumcision is for Abraham, his desert descendants and indoctrinated Africans. 90% of male persons across the world are uncircumcised," he said on X.
"Leadership, or lack thereof, doesn't reside in the foreskin."
Circumcision in Kenya is practised in varying degrees by some communities who consider it a rite of passage for males after their pubertal stage.
However, some communities like the Luo, Teso and Turkana do not traditionally practice circumcision as a rite of passage and individuals from those communities who choose to face the knife do so for religious importance or hygiene purposes.
But whereas opinion remains divided about the pros and cons of male circumcision amongst African communities, the practice carries a number of health benefits including decreased risk of urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases, prevention of penile problems and decreased risk of cervical cancer in sexual partners.
Circumcision also enhances personal hygiene and reduces the risk of getting infections under the foreskin.
Mukurwe-ini MP John Kaguchia has drafted a bill in which he wants male circumcision made mandatory and provided free of charge by the government at health facilities.
The MP said the sole purpose of the push is to help reduce sexually transmitted infections including HIV/Aids.