‘Circumcision & FGM Are Primitive And Irrelevant To Leadership’-Raila Odinga

Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga has condemned the practice of circumcision and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), saying they are primitive and irrelevant to leadership.

Speaking during an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) consultative meeting with local leaders in Teso North, the ODM leader asserted that circumcision is a Bantu cultural practice that was introduced through religion. He said that the practice is not universal among Bantus, as it is not practiced by Bantus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, or South Africa.

“The problem became big because of the issue of circumcision, that someone else says you are still a child because you are not circumcised. Isn’t that stupidity and ignorance? I told them that if you cross to Uganda, you will find that there are only two tribes that used to circumcise.

“This circumcision thing is just a religious thing, it came with religion and passed through here Bantu. Circumcision is a small thing, someone who takes circumcision as a big thing is very stupid,” Raila said.

The opposition chief also condemned FGM, saying it is a primitive and stupid practice. He reiterated that individuals who use the circumcision culture to gauge a person’s capabilities to lead are fools who should be cursed.

“The issue of circumcising women and then thinking you have done an important job is stupid. That a Teso cannot lead because he is not circumcised, someone like that should be cursed because that is the devil,” Raila said.

Raila’s remarks have been welcomed by some Kenyans, who have praised him for speaking out against the two practices. Others, however, have criticized him for being insensitive to the cultural beliefs of some communities.