Lopet location Chief Isaac Lomwai said they had to ban the dance in his area because many underage girls were being married off.
The government has banned the popular Kwara Kwara dance in Tiaty Constituency, Baringo County, citing a rise in immorality cases.
The decision was informed by concerns about a spike in marriage breakages, teen pregnancy, early marriages, and school dropouts.
The night dance is popular among the Pokots and is normally performed during ceremonies and parties, such as weddings and fundraisers, from the evening until dawn.
There is no prerequisite age on who should attend the dance, a move that has attracted minors, including school-going children, who end up dropping out of school due to teen pregnancies and early marriages.
The dance performed amid blaring music attracts many, including men who join in to dance with the women. It has often been cited for facilitating immorality in local communities where it is performed.
“We are informed that also women do not go back to their homes at the right time after attending the Kwara Kwara dance. For this reason, it has been banned in this region because it has led to breakups in many families,” Deputy County Commissioner Aaron Omaset said, while banning the dance.
He directed organisers of fundraisers to ensure they start in the morning and end by 6pm, banning night events.
“If you are planning to have a fundraiser, ensure the timeline is between 6am and 6pm and there should be no music,” said Mr Omaset.
“Who told you the attendants need loud music so that they can contribute? During this examination period, the noise would distract candidates sitting for their national examination.”
A resident, Solomon Karani, told Nation.Africa that he has been a victim of the dance after one of his wives went missing after attending the dance.
“Almost every man in this region has fallen victim to the Kwara Kwara dance, having lost their young wives who elope with other men after attending it at night. One of my wives disappeared the same way and I have never seen her to date,” said Mr Karani.
He said school children had not been spared with some ending up with early pregnancies and dropping out of school after attending the dance.
According to Kapau Location chief Sadaam Kalale, the night dance is common in remote villages.
So popular it is that locals are always enquiring where the next dance will happen so that they can attend, he said.
“You find people, including minors, walking for dozens of kilometres to neighbouring villagers so that they can participate in the dance. Women end up not going back to their husbands as they find new suitors and children drop out of school for reasons connected to the dance,” he said.
“Teenage pregnancies, prostitution, family breakups, and poor enrolment in schools are so rife in this region due to this Kwara Kwara dance,” he said, explaining that beyond dancing, people, including minors indulge in illegal brews commonly known as busaa, resulting in various social ills.
“It is good that the government has banned the dance. We believe that this will bring sanity, especially in the villages and it will be easy for us to track down children and enroll them in school,” he stated.
