Mr Joseph Kimani Gachomo, 47, is heartbroken and cannot understand why his son was tortured and left for death, by a group of youth, who claimed they were ‘hardening him up’ after a circumcision ceremony.
The torture of Paul Mureithi,15, on March 23, 2022, left him with loss of speech, partially paralyzed and with a hospital bill of over Sh1.5 million.
For the family of the minor, a visit by local youths in Nyondia village, in the outskirts of Naivasha town, weeks after their son was circumcised totally changed and devastated their lives.
One year later, the family is still grappling with a huge hospital bill and a bedridden son, who cannot go to school or do anything for himself.
According to Mr Gachomo, a fatal blow by one of the youths, permanently changed the life of the minor.
“My son sustained a serious injury during the encounter with the youths and was rushed to Naivasha sub-county hospital, unconscious and in critical condition. Doctors at the hospital attempted to resuscitate him, but all was in vain. He was transferred to Kijabe Mission Hospital for specialized treatment,” Mr Gachomo told the Nation.
“At Kijabe hospital a CT scan found out that my son had internal injuries on the head and he was taken to theatre and later to the ICU for two months, “recalled the devastated father.
Mr Gachomo, then a quarry worker, says he had to abandon his job and join the minor, then a class eight candidate, in the hospital for months as doctors fought to save his life.
“It was a distressing journey. At one time the doctors had to switch off the supporting machine, but through prayers my son regained consciousness. However, the blow on his head had affected his memory and his speech, he could not talk coherently and this has been the situation since then,” he said.
“By the time we left the hospital, the hospital bill stood at Sh1.5 million. The hospital management discharged my son, but on condition that l pay some amount every month to clear the huge bill,” the father explained.
Mr Gachomo revealed that he reported the matter at the Naivasha Police Station and the police, including detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations told him that they would have to wait for the minor to recover so that he would identify his attackers.
One year later, he is still bedridden and his speech is impaired.
Accounts drained
“I have been struggling to take care of the boy since we left the hospital. He has been bedridden and his condition has completely drained all our accounts. We had to sell all their livestock and property to cater for the medical expenses,” said the father.
“My son requires weekly therapy, a special diet and medication which cannot afford further affect the boy’s recovery process. I call on well-wishers to come to our assistance so that he can get his medication and therapy, “added the father.
According to Lydia Waruguru, a flower farm worker, her son requires Sh10,000 every week for therapy, drugs and a special diet, a figure they could not raise.
A medical report from Kijabe Hospital, seen by the Nation, shows that the boy had a significant degree of anxiety and stress related to the trauma.
“The teenager was seen by a clinical psychologist and the family advised to have child protection officers follow up this matter while at home,” reads the report in part.
The distraught family is now seeking support and justice after the torture.
The torture of the teenager has now lifted the lid on archaic practices and cases of molestation and torture of initiates in various parts of the country, that have left initiates dead and others nursing injuries, in the past.
Mr Joseph Kimani Gachomo helps his partially paralysed son, Paul Mureithi,15 to use a wheelchair.
In the past year, cases of molesting and torture left tens of initiates injured and some dead, in various parts of Central Kenya.
Other incidents were reported in the Rift Valley region.
Nakuru death
For instance, in March 2022, a family in Huruma estate in Molo Sub County was left devastated after their son died days after undergoing circumcision.
The 13-year-old Joseph Kinyanjui, who had just finished his class eight exams at the St Mary’s Mixed Primary School was mistreated by older boys.
He was rushed to Molo sub county hospital, but succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.
An autopsy revealed the minor had been tortured to death.
This was not the only case of harassment on initiates in the area, the previous year (2021), two boys from Tayari village fled their homes after being beaten up by their older counterparts.
In November 2018, a 15-year-old boy from Gatitu village in Murang’a County died after undergoing harassment to ‘harden him’.
Autopsy report
A postmortem report confirmed that Juliano Kanyonyo died as a result of torture and beatings meant to harden him up after a circumcision.
After the incident, teenagers came out to expose the painful experiences they were subjected to in the name of ‘hardening them up into manhood’.
It emerged that some of the initiates were being subtly introduced to vices such as crime and use of hard drugs and others were recruited to outlawed criminal gangs.
In some other cases, the initiates were urged to have their first sexual encounter, once they were done with the ceremony.
Criminal gangs purporting to be mentors have in the past tortured initiates in the name of counselling and ‘hardening them’ to become men.
According to David Kuria, an elder, big boys normally take advantage of the situation to mistreat the younger ones by forcing them to do extreme activities and if one fails to comply they are harassed and beaten.
“The younger boys are sometimes fed with huge amounts of food and others go to the extent of forcing the minors to smoke bhang.
When they are in seclusion, a lot of bad things happen. It is upon the elders and parents to take charge in order to curb similar incidents,” stated Mr Kuria, also a director of the Nakuru Human Rights Network.
Sociologist Dominic Kamau says the rite of passage starts from the actual circumcision and is meant to make boys resilient, as men should be.
“The seemingly harsh treatment of initiates is actually helpful as it helps mould young men as they are taught that sometimes life is difficult and it is up to one to learn how to face the hardships,” he says.
“The problem is when it is done by the wrong people who end up maiming or killing an initiate. Elders should also be wary of criminals disguising themselves as mentors during initiation. The hardening should not be torture,” advises Mr Kamau.
In December 2020, the Kikuyu Council of Elders cancelled all its ceremonies and functions, in order to take charge of the circumcision of boys.
This, they said, was to ensure there is no repeat of incidents witnessed the previous year, where initiates were molested, with some deaths reported in parts of the Mount Kenya region.
Led by the Kikuyu Cultural Association Chairman Ndung’u Gaithuma, the elders appealed to parents to have their sons initiated to adulthood in places where they can get proper counselling and lessons on positive cultural practices. BY DAILY NATION