- Anglican Church Kirinyaga supports circumcision for the sixth graders, saying the ritual goes beyond the physical cut.
- Council of elders through formations such as the ‘Kiama kia Maa’ and Kirinyaga council of elders maintain that Grade 6 pupils are still too young.
Image: FILE
The completion of national examinations marks a major milestone in the academic lives of Grade 6 and Class 8 pupils .
But besides that, the crucial period also ushers in a new dawn into the lives of pubescent teens as they get to transit from childhood to adulthood.
Since time immemorial, it has been a cultural practice in most Kenyan communities for adolescent boys to mark their entry into manhood by undergoing circumcision.
In Central Kenya, the critical rite of passage is mostly undergone by boys graduating from Class 8 into high school.
However, with the changes in the education system, which among other things have introduced Grade 6 and junior secondary school, the circumcision ceremony has greatly been affected.
A number of parents have been thrown into confusion over when the time is ripe for their sons to face the knife.
Pastor Julius Muriuki from the Kerugoya Anglican Church Kirinyaga supports circumcision for the sixth graders, saying the ritual goes beyond the physical cut.
He is the church’s chairman of the Christian rites of passage.
Muriuki said unlike the other years when they have been receiving an average of 200 initiates, this year the number is likely to rise to about 500 boys.
“From the onset of this year we were expecting a large number owing to the Grade 6 graduates. Just as we were wrapping our minds around how to arrange the programme, parents started to troop in as they registered their sons for the programme.”
In years past the ritual was traditionally coordinated in line with the cultural beliefs and dictates of the tribes.
This, he said, is meant to impart a positive mindset, therefore, making age and academic year of the pupil a non- issue.
He says under their programme the initiates are taken through life transformative and character-modeling sessions meant to inculcate virtues, responsibility and holism within them.
“The most important thing is wiring them into responsible adults and teaching them what they ought to do and how to relate with other members of the society. This is where circumcision is fully defined and its effect manifested as it now focuses on the mind as opposed to just the physical cut,” he said.
He says unlike other years where facilitators have been imparting similar knowledge to a more mature age group, the inclusion of Grade 6 pupils will prompt this year’s approach to be quite different.
He adds that the two groups (both class eight and grade six) will be separated and taken through different sessions.
“The training this year will be quite different especially on the grade six .We will teach them how to adjust to their environments especially in the wake of the new education system ,how to cope with challenges as they grow up ,how to steer off bad company ,drug abuse and promote individual responsibility and time management,” he added.
Muriuki says age of the initiate should not be a big concern as there are some religions that have even embraced a culture of circumcising toddlers as young as eight days old.
However, the council of elders through formations such as the ‘Kiama kia Maa’ and Kirinyaga council of elders maintain that Grade 6 pupils are still too young to undergo the cut.
Kiama kia Maa Kirinyaga county chairperson Mwangi Irungu says that adulthood is progressively achieved by age and as such sixth graders are still very young and immature to comprehend circumcision.
He underscored the importance of all the stakeholders understanding the basics of the cultural practice, its intentions and targets.
He however notes that circumcision of Grade 6 pupils depends on the wishes of their parents and as such they are not restrained to take their children to undergo the process.
“Any boy below 12 years is still a child and not ready for circumcision. As such, it is not fair to subject them to the process as they are still not mentally ready.”
He added that under their tutorage, initiates are guided on how to be responsible men . Moreover, as custodians of the culture, they impart on them cultural knowledge that is insightful and important on how to relate with other members of the society .
Joseph Warutere from the Kirinyaga council of elders holds similar sentiments, saying Grade 6 pupils are still immature to grasp the concept and importance of circumcision.
He advises parents not to hastily act out of desperation but instead seek knowledge on the value circumcision adds to their children lest it be an exercise in futility.
“Even as they take them for seclusion let them know the importance of the whole exercise. The children might physically undergo the cut but they might not realize its importance and that’s why age and this kind of ritual go hand in hand.”
David Muriuki, a parent of a Grade 6 pupil, says he sees no problem with his son facing the knife as the real circumcision is mental-oriented as contrasted to the physical cut.
Edited by Henry Makori