Kenya: Men Circumcised by Force in Luhya Tribe Ceremony

Wives of at least dozen men in western Kenya played a part in forcing their husbands to undergo circumcision as part of a traditional ceremony, according to a report on Kenyan radio station West FM.

According to the report, many women in Kenya believe uncircumcised men are "dirty" and do not perform as well sexually than those who have been circumcised.

The men who underwent forced circumcistion at the ceremony on 1 August in a town called Moi's Bridge - marking the start of the annual so-called 'circumcision season' in Kenya - were all part of the Luhya Tribe, from various communities in Uasin Gishu District.

According to the report on West FM, the men who underwent forced circumcision had their 'uncircumcised' status revealed via their wives.

All of the men were reportedly ambused, stripped naked then smeared in mud before being forced to take part in a ceremony where locals surrounded them while singing, chanting and dancing. The men were then taken to a nearby hospital where the circumcisions took place.

"We are happy with the move to have such men cut because uncircumcised men are dirty and do not perform well in bed and thus we are sure their wives will now enjoy their marriages," Anne Njeri, one of the wives who witnessed the events on 1 August, told West FM.

According to the report, local officials said that all boys and men living the area would now be undergoing forced circumcision as part of the ceremony.

"These people have been engaging us in many arguments including competing with us for women yet they are boys and that is why we decided to transform them into men so that they can be worth competing and arguing with us. We are also telling those who have not undergone the cut to do so because it is a good thing you saw how women celebrated it," local Peter Kariuki told West FM.

The 'circumcision season', involving 16 sub-tribes of the Luhya community, will reportedly be taking place for the first three weeks of August.