The December season comes with big ambitions for every boy in Keiyo, both a place and a sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin tribe mostly living in Elgeyo-Marakwet County.
It is the rite of passage, from boyhood to manhood. It is still a revered rite of passage, with young boys already pestering their parents because they do not want to be left alone by their peers whose parents have confirmed their candidacy.
The ceremony is a subject of intense division among young men, with those who underwent the rite in the traditional way and those who went in a modern way, also known as Christian.
The latter faction often bears the brunt, often leading them to ‘buying the ceremony,’ a phrase that is intended to insult someone. Simply, the Christian guys have to undergo the ceremony for the second time in the traditional way in order to be accepted.
Local schools manifest this rivalry, where there are clear ranks between the initiated and uninitiated, and the mode of initiation as aforementioned.
The rite of passage is still quite revered by the people, where a man is considered a boy no matter what age until he has undergone it.
The initiation ceremony often brings people together, where they make merry the entire December holidays. It spices up the holiday season.
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