Why Kagwe's tough speeches could not stop Bukusu rites
Sirisia politician Lendrix Waswa escorts his nephew to the river before facing the knife.
What you need to know:
- This is a ceremony that has never been interfered with as long as the people there can remember and there has never been a hindrance or precedence to stop it.
- The Bukusu ceremony attracts more than 40,000 tourists, both local and foreign. It’s usually a carnival mood as urban centres are always full of people, dancing the night away.
In western Kenya, traditional circumcision ceremonies are splendid rituals. It’s the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood, which has been celebrated for eons.
This is a ceremony that has never been interfered with as long as the people there can remember and there has never been a hindrance or precedence to stop it.
Among the Bukusu in Bungoma, Kakamega and Trans-Nzoia counties, this happens in August of every even year. This time around, things are different on the ground as the Covid-19 pandemic has threatened to completely change the cultural equation.
As a result, the Ministry of Health (MoH) issued guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of the virus and that meant the people were not allowed to go ahead with their planned activities.
But the MoH may have miscalculated the imperative importance of this event among the Bukusu! The elders decided to defy the orders and go ahead with their custom.
Hide-and-seek
What was supposed to be a month of celebrations has turned into a game of hide-and-seek between the government officials and Bukusu elders! At the onset of the season in late July, the Bukusu got the support of their neighbours — Tachoni and Batura — and threatened to “bewitch” anyone who tried to stand in their way of life.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe briefs the media at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after the resumption of international flights on August 1.
The elders from the three communities elected to proceed but under strict adherence to health directives. To clear the way, they performed a traditional ritual that involved cleansing of the knives, locally known as 'khubita kimibano'.
In justification of their defiance to the MOH directives, they reasoned: “We started preparing our children for this year's circumcision season and went ahead with the cut after we got the green light from our elders; We are being told that there is an outbreak of Covid-19 but we have not witnessed any death in our area related to the pandemic. That is why we have sought blessings from our elders so we can go ahead with the circumcision. We are only doing this in the villages. The police should understand that this is our culture,” said Allan Baraza, the Mayanja circumcision committee coordinator.
Come rain, come sunshine
His sentiments were echoed by the others in the same vein. “We must circumcise our children, come rain, come sunshine. We have enough food to feed them during the healing period. Our circumcisers are well-prepared. We have a knife for each child and we shall be adhering to all the Covid-19 restrictions. We have enough sanitisers and gloves, we cannot postpone the ceremony,” said Godfrey Makokha Wang’onda, a parent.
“The President recently reopened the country. People have been going to churches while others have been travelling upcountry. This is the reason we held the ceremony,” said Mr Juma, whose boy graduated to adulthood this year.
Mr Edward Wekesa from Kanduyi said he had prepared his son to face the knife because it’s a "cultural requirement".
“We can only circumcise them now because it cannot be done when they are old. We cannot wait for Covid-19 (to end),” said Mr Wekesa.
A boy from Abachemile clan going through clan rituals before facing the knife in Kabuchai constituency.
Mathias Makhanu Wanjala, a parent from Chwele, quipped: “We always do our thing in July and August. Nothing can stop us. We shall circumcise our children according to our culture; we won’t take them to the hospital.”
Even as the insolence spread through the counties, the Bungoma County Commissioner Abdi Hassan remained adamant that firm action would be taken against anyone performing the ceremony. “I have received information that during this period, we have people who are moving around at night. Because it is not allowed, when we get them, they will be quarantined,” Dr Abdi said.
He also reminded the locals that Covid-19 regulations did not exempt cultural ceremonies. “All lawbreakers will be dealt with ruthlessly. No one should break the law under the pretext of culture and traditions without a care about the repercussions,” the commissioner added.
But even as he issued his threats, the seasoned 'surgeons' were from moving from village to village blowing their trumpets after "successful surgeries".
The Bukusu generations or age-sets are named after every ceremony. The Bukusu ceremony attracts more than 40,000 tourists, both local and foreign. It’s usually a carnival mood as urban centres are always full of people, dancing the night away.
