“The circumcision pain was too much but bearable. But I noticed that unlike others, my blood continued to gush out of my genitals, similar to the way it does when one slaughters chicken,” Kaguta recalled.
Nineteen-year-old Kaguta (not his real name), was overwhelmed about his impending orientation into adulthood, at least from the traditional angle.
This year is for Imbalu (traditional circumcision rite) among the Bamasaba, who largely occupy the Mt. Elgon region in eastern Uganda.
But early this year, the State banned social gathering due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the circumcision ceremony somehow had to continue, quietly in some villages. Thus, Kaguta and some of his age-mates looked forward to the day for them to “become men”.
But when the d-day came, the rite robbed Kaguta his manhood.
What transpired
As the tradition dictates, the ritual kicked off as early as dawn. Kaguta’s moment came at around midday when he was guided to the shrine for the cut.
He then instructed to stand still with his legs astride. He obeyed.
He rolled his arm around a stick, put on his shoulder. At the time, Kaguta was not expected to show the feeling of pain.
Only he would hear at the time were voices from onlookers, reminding him of how he hails from a brave clan and how he should not betray the family line.
“The circumcision pain was too much but bearable. But I noticed that unlike others, my blood continued to gush out of my genitals, similar to the way it does when one slaughters chicken,” Kaguta recalled.
Not What Was Expected
Kaguta said even the elders in the crowd came closer, to examine the incision. Upon seeing what happened, they rushed for some herbs to stop the bleeding.
The teenager realized that something had gone south when he was excluded from the last stage, done by the newly circumcised boys, in the company of wellwishers and relatives.
Later the herbs were crushed and applied to the wound while some he was given to drink.
“For months, I could not sleep because of the throbbing pain from the wound that was not responding to treatment,” Kaguta said.
When he failed to respond to the herbs, he was taken local clinic, which advised his family to rush him to the hospital.
Kaguta was later taken to the hospital after four months of circumcision where the doctors recommended surgery to save his life. A surgery that led to his genitals cut off.
According to the doctors, they had to cut off his genitals because, during the circumcision procedure, the circumciser cut a critical blood artery.
“The dorsal blood artery was cut, resulting into wreckage of the entire blood fl ow system in the victim’s genital organ,” Elgon region Police surgeon, Dr. Barnabas Rubanza said.,
The dorsal artery is the main blood supplying conduits of the penis. It is so close to the outer skin of the shaft.
Sadly when the artery was ripped, both Kaguta and the people around him did not detect the magnitude of the damage. They instead continued to administering herbal concoction on the wound.
Possible effect
Psychologists describe Kaguta’s fate as considerably regrettable.
According to them, the victim is likely to hate the traditional Imbalu ceremony forever and therefore suggested counseling to help him go through the trauma.
Also as a result of the medical intervention, Kaguta could have a faint chance of bearing children unless he is financially empowered to bear himself children using scientific means.
According to a traditional circumciser Charles Wamunga, Kaguta’s case was rare and blames new entrants in the field.
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“I have no record of a circumcision gone wrong. Traditional circumcisers are selected from the community by spirits in a formal and public ritual. Unfortunately, our cultural role has, of late, been infiltrated by impostors. This explains such bizarre scenarios,” he said.
However, Police surgeon Barnabas Rubanza does not agree with his claims.
He instead noted that his hospital; registers an average of 40 cases related to traditional circumcision mistakes.
“But we have received men complaining that their genitals are crooked. Ideally, the shaft of the penis is supposed to assume a straight dimension on erection. But we see some assuming an arch dimension!”
“I have appealed to the cultural authorities to ensure that the circumcisers are subjected to orientation, but my request has been ignored,” Rubanza said.
The story was originally done by New Vision Uganda.
