Two boys left to die as parents prayed after circumcision ceremony goes awry

Mutua Kithuka, the father of two boys who died after a botched traditional circumcision (Philip Muasya/Standard)

On Wednesday morning last week, 12 boys between the ages of five and eight assembled at a homestead in Lundi village in Mwingi East, Kitui County, ready to undergo circumcision.

The boys, all under the grip of fear, were to be circumcised using a razor blade by a 70-year-old woman. The woman is said to be an experienced traditional circumciser and is revered among members of the Kavonokya sect.