Kandara MP Alice Wahome roots for safe initiation

Kandara MP Alice Wahome has announced plans establishing medical facilities at major shopping centers in the constituency where circumcision of boys will be done in bid to curb harassment and deaths of initiates in the hands of their mentors.

The MP said her office will also train older youth in conjunction with the church and the elders who will be taking care of the initiates to prevent crooks and hooligans from misguiding them in the guise of advising them during the period where the initiates heal.

Speaking at Gatitu village during the burial of Juliano Kanyonyo, who died on November 18 after his mentors harassed and assaulted him because he failed to give them a mature cockerel, the MP led mourners in condemning the incident and agreed to end the culture of older youth demanding cigarettes and cockerels amongst the youth who undergoes a rite of passage.

"From today henceforth no one should demand for a chicken or the cigarettes from the initiates no any form of payments should be made to mentors because they are supposed to volunteer and not to be paid," the MP said.

She associated the misguided advice to the initiates with the rising cases of moral decay to the youth saying it is during the initiation rite that most teenagers are taught how to take bhang and prostitution.

The MP who demanded answers from the Cabinet Secretary for Interior Security and Coordination Fred Matiang'i said she would pursue the matter until to its logical conclusion.

"I will table the question through the National Assembly and I have also secured an appointment with Mr Matiang'i over the matter and will follow it up until the killers of Kanyonyo are brought to book," she said.

She urged locals to do away with barbaric cultures which brought death and illnesses to the youth.

Kandara Assistant County Commissioner Tango James echoed the Mp's sentiment saying anybody found demanding chicken and harassing initiates in the name of Kikuyu tradition would be arrested and charged.

"Some cultures are just stupid and we won't let criminals hide under them to terrorise innocent Kenyans, it's evil and illegal to harass and assault people and the law will catch up with the offenders," he said.

However Kandara Branch Executive Secretary for Kenya National Union of Teachers Samuel Njoroge laid a blame game to security agencies in the area accusing them of derailing investigations into insecurity incidences saying the offenders walk scot free since they are never apprehended.

"There are three incidences of murder in this area, last year a woman was brutally murdered in this area and in Githumu this year and this incident now but police keep saying investigations are ongoing,

"In two weeks time if no one will have been arrested in connection with the three incidences of murder, teachers will organise a mother of all demonstrations to the security headquarters to express our concerns," Mr Njoroge said.

A sombre mood engulfed the area during the burial ceremony with hundreds of locals turning into large numbers to give the deceased his final respects.

He died a day before KCPE results were announced where he got 376 marks.

The head teacher of Gatitu primary school where the deceased schooled described the late as quite, clean, humble and shy a pupil who was not a fame seeker and who has never been punished for an offence in school.

He repeated class eight after getting 292 marks last year which were below his dream school of Njiris School.

The head teacher called on investigative agencies to fast-track investigations to give his soul justice.