The Umukuka III of Inzu Ya Masaba, His Royal Highness Jude Mike Mudoma, has established a committee to streamline the circumcision ceremony in Masaba land. The Imbalu among the Bamasaaba community is a bi-annual event that takes place every two years.
In the past, circumcision among the Bamasaaba was conducted annually, including odd years, until the 1940s when the Bamasaaba began conducting circumcision every two years due to shortages of foodstuffs at that time.
The Umukuka III of Bamasaaba recently constituted an ad-hoc committee, headed by the former LCV Chairman of Bududa, Hon Wilson Watira, to manage the circumcision planning and guide the Bamasaaba on the commencement dates of Imbalu. Officially, Imbalu among the Bamasaaba is conducted around August, approximately 180 days away.
Recently, the police in Manafwa, led by their DPC, sought guidance on how to proceed. Our position as Inzu Ya Masaba is that the official time for Imbalu is usually in August. However, we have seen isolated cases where boys are circumcised as early as January 1st for various reasons. In such situations, regulations on how it should be done are important, rather than stopping them, as those who circumcise may have varying grounds for doing so. Sometimes, foreigners like Banyole, Basinga, Baganda, and Bateso may also engage in circumcision. I saw some garage boys circumcising a 30-year-old man. This may not be overlooked since they may not practice all aspects of our culture, like enamba and wearing of bells, among others.
While other tribes like Bateso, Basamwa, and Banyankole may circumcise as a condition precedent imposed on them by their Bagisu girlfriends.
The circumcision seasons among the Bamasaaba are mainly two but with varying intentions. For example, the August period is meant for non-school-going groups, while the December one is for those who were in school, mostly those who have just finished primary seven and O-level exams, among others. Circumcision begins in clans, and Masaba land has over 1000 clans, moving within those clans until the conclusion.
With the cultural leader now in office, the issue of uncoordinated circumcision will be a thing of the past. Recall that in 2020, the ceremony was a bit disorderly due to numerous reasons, such as the absence of a cultural leader and COVID-19, where the government froze public functions, including Imbalu.
As we celebrate our culture, other laws like traffic laws ought to be considered. Celebrants should not take the law into their hands or disrupt traffic on roads, and car drivers must also slow down if they encounter Kadodi and Imbalu celebrants. There must be a duty of care to all road users.
There is usually impatience on the side of drivers as we approach the Imbalu festive seasons. We encourage everyone to have this information in the public domain.
The writer is the spokesperson Inzu Ya Masaba. Tel: 0782231577.
