Elder Macharia Nyamu speaking to journalist at the PCEA Nakuru. [Photo-/Victor Wanaswa]
Presbyterian Church in East Africa (PCEA) Nakuru West parish is set to conduct alternative rites of passage for 160 boys and 150 girls who recently sat for their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).
The organizers of the event which is being coordinated by Elder Macharia Muchemi say some of what they consider good in the traditional ceremonies is retained in these alternative rites of passage. Muchemi says a rite of passage should leave much more than a mark on one’s body.
The elder argues that initiation should have a lasting impression on the person’s life. But as society moves from one generation to the next, the values initially attached to initiation are slowly falling by the wayside.
Elder Macharia Nyamu indicates that PCEA was not replacing the traditional systems but was merely filling an existing gap between generations.
"In traditional settings, the newly initiated boys face a myriad of risks including exposure to HIV through casual affairs," said Macharia.
Head Trainer Moses Wambugu says the initiative will take a holistic approach in encouraging the participants to be respectable and responsible future adults.
For the first time this year, the organizers say that the Alternative Rite of Passage (ARP) programme will incorporate sessions on the responsible use of the Social media and training to dissuade the youth into being radicalized to commit terrorist activities.
They will also be trained on proper financial management procedures, entrepreneurship, and crime detection.
Elder Nyamu says the church is picking the role that should have been played by traditionalists that is no more and inaction by parents over the years has increasingly led to delinquents and this scale of negligence has led to an eroded moral fabric.
Alice Mugure has been tasked to provide the same service to young adolescent girls participating in the alternative rite of passage.
The United Nations Population Fund(UNFP) estimates that 140 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of female genital mutilation (FGM), adding that if current trends continue, about 86 million additional girls worldwide will be subjected to the practice by 2030.