- The MP added that uncircumcised boys are more prone to HIV and other infections.
- He said MPs who come from areas where they do not believe in circumcision traditionally are afraid to speak publicly.
Image: Alice Waithera
Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia has said that the government should make circumcision mandatory for health purposes.
In 2023, the MP wrote to the National Assembly’s legal counsel Andala Eshitsimi indicating his intent to introduce legislation that will control the practice.
Speaking on Tuesday, the MP said that he took up the campaign to protect young boys who do not have a voice in the society.
"Over the years, we have had many deaths of young boys undergoing traditional circumcision that sometimes goes bad. We are looking at circumcision not from a cultural perspective but from a health perspective," he said.
The legislator said that the government should make circumcision a public health concern.
"If you culturally believe in circumcision, you must do it healthily and a health practitioner should do it. If you don't practice circumcision as a matter of not believing in a culture, do it in the hospital as a public health requirement," he added.
The MP added that uncircumcised boys are more prone to HIV and other infections.
He said MPs who come from areas where they do not believe in circumcision traditionally are afraid to speak publicly.
Kaguchia said the bill will aim to enhance the safety of circumcision while significantly reducing the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases.
On November 30, Eshitsimi wrote back to the MP saying;
"We are working on the instructions and will get back to you in due course".
His proposal was received with mixed reactions among leaders and Kenyans.
In Kenya, some communities revere male circumcision as an important rite of passage for boys into adulthood while other communities assign no particular importance to it and never practice it.
Lawyer Miguna Miguna rubbished plans for the introduction of a draft bill saying it seeks to impose the cultural practices of one community on others.
"You can’t impose a cultural practice of some ethnic groups over others. MPs should focus on legislation that addresses the needs of all Kenyans. Not ethnic chauvinistic ones such as this. If they pass it, the Courts will and must strike it down," Miguna said in a statement on his X handle.
Males who undergo circumcision mostly do so voluntarily, influenced largely by information on the preventive health benefits, safety and risk factors of the procedures as well as ethical, religious, cultural, familial and economic considerations.
The Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) encourages healthcare providers to inform all uncircumcised adolescent and adult males that male circumcision reduces, but does not eliminate, the chance of acquiring HIV and other STIs during heterosexual contact.
According to the CDC, male circumcision can reduce a male’s chances of acquiring HIV by 50 per cent to 60 per cent during heterosexual contact with female partners with HIV.
It says the observation was arrived at following data acquired after three clinical trials.