The Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) has sparked a storm after it reportedly banned men from the church from participating in a goat eating ceremony for the Kikuyu culture.
The ceremony, known as Mburi cia Kiama, involves men donating goats which are slaughtered as those who donate receive advice on how to become elders.
They then join Kiamas and become respected men who can be consulted over weighty matters of the community.
The church however considers the cultural ritual as barbaric and a ‘worship’ of another god.
“The highest body in PCEA church has distanced itself from Mburi Cia Kiama, terming it a negative cultural practice, among other practices like polygamy, female circumcision and witchcraft,” a post by a social media page said.
Advocates of Kikuyu culture said the church is wrong on the issue as no one can run away from their traditional beliefs and practices.
“That is unwarranted and misguided. We do not rival the church by embracing our culture. In fact, we were born Kikuyu first before we joined the mainstream churches. People can opt to leave a church but you can never stop being Kikuyu,” a respected elder in the community said.