Drama unfolded at Gatundu Hospital mortuary after it emerged that a 70-year-old man was not circumcised despite him being a revered elder.
The revelation was made by the mortuary attendants forcing the elders who had gone to collect the body to first perform the rite before taking the deceased for burial.
The elders who sought anonymity said they don’t understand how the deceased could have skipped such a crucial rite of passage at his younger age.
“We could not bury him like that as it is against our practice,” said one of the elders.
Further, they said the deceased had also gone through all the stages that an elder is supposed to undergo for him to be accepted in the council.
“He has even brought two goats to the council for him to be admitted at the council but this has come as a surprise for all of us,” the elders said.
They said they shall have to perform a cleansing ritual after the burial as it is taboo for an elder not to undergo a cut.
The elders said they shall contemplate scrutinizing those who want to join the council in order to avoid such an incident.
“This should serve as a wake-up call for elders as we have to find a way of checking that those who want to join have undergone this right of passage,” another elder said.
