One man in Namutokholo village in Bungoma County was lured by elders and age mates and forced to undergo the cut. According to his neighbour Martin Simiyu, Mr John Wanjala 35, a casual worker in Eldoret town, had on several occasions escaped the Bukusu circumcision season as he routinely escaped to Eldoret town during the month of August thus giving his elders and age mates a hard time who wanted him to undergo the cut despite his age. “The man has been so clever and whenever the circumcision period approaches, he often escapes to Eldoret town,” said Mr Simiyu.
After much contemplation on how to have him undergo traditional Bukusu circumcision, elders and his age mates devised a plan meant to lure him, in the name of dividing a piece of ancestral land so that he could be given his share without any hitches. Upon hearing this, the victim, Wanjala, who had been waiting for the land settlement issue for some time now, happily went to the village, not knowing the trap set for him.
When he arrived, he was warmly welcomed and even the residents involved in the plan went ahead and laid down the plans for the division of the supposed piece of land. However on the wee hours of the day set aside for the land divisions, he was ambushed and rushed to the river, where the formalities were hastily done and after a short while, he was circumcised at his father’s home in broad daylight, something that left his wife and children irritated. The incident has shocked residents who had been wondering why the month of August never finds Wanjala around, in his home. “We now know why he has often been vanishing during the month of August,” said Derrick, who is a resident of the area.