Honorable Stephen Muduku, the Member of Parliament for Bugisu North, has entered the Guinness World Records as the oldest MP to be circumcised globally. By Bugisu standards, boys are typically circumcised between the ages of 12 and 20. However, Hon. Muduku underwent circumcision at the age of 80, despite having a wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. This event is considered both historical and culturally unprecedented, as he had evaded the traditional imbalu ceremony for eight decades while serving as a lawmaker in Uganda and spending significant time in Kampala.
Hon. Muduku, born in 1931, was circumcised around 2010 when he was about 80 years old. He had been a staunch advocate for cooperative societies and a prominent figure in Uganda’s fight for independence. As a result, less attention was paid to his cultural obligations, even though this is a crucial aspect among the Bamasaba people.
Among the Bamasaba, two unavoidable aspects of life are death and circumcision. This cultural practice is so significant that even the dead are circumcised before burial.
The plan to circumcise Muduku began when cultural intelligence revealed that the former MP might not have been circumcised. In late 2000, a plan was devised to verify this information.
The plan unfolded when a group of Bamasaba cultural enthusiasts, posing as timber merchants, visited Muduku’s home. They claimed to be interested in purchasing timber from his eucalyptus plantation, which was situated a few meters from his house. Although Muduku was initially suspicious, he directed them to inspect the forest and return to negotiate the price.
The supposed timber merchants refused to inspect the forest alone and requested Muduku to guide them. Despite his reservations, the elderly former MP complied, unaware of their true intentions. During their tour of the eucalyptus forest, another person, who had been strategically positioned nearby, emerged and mocked Muduku for being an uncircumcised man.
The “businessmen,” who were actually cultural enforcers, seized the opportunity to confront Muduku about the circumcision issue. Although Muduku initially denied the allegation, the pressure became overwhelming. He admitted that he had never been circumcised and attempted to resolve the issue by offering the entire eucalyptus forest in exchange for avoiding circumcision. This offer was flatly rejected, and a traditional surgeon was quickly assembled. Within moments, Hon. Muduku underwent the circumcision, transitioning from boyhood to manhood.
In Bamasaba culture, regardless of age, if a person has not been circumcised, they are considered a boy until they undergo the procedure. Hon. Muduku was not the only one to have evaded this cultural duty for decades; another congressman, Mujoloto, in his 70s, was also subjected to circumcision after being apprehended near Uganda House on Kampala Road.
In Bamasaba culture, the only way to resolve questions about one’s circumcision status is through visible proof of manhood to dispel any suspicion or doubt. The imbalu ceremony is uncompromising and cannot be avoided by status or bribery; every Bamasaba individual must undergo circumcision by the age of 20.
Often, it is girlfriends or wives who reveal such individuals’ circumcision status after they have exhausted their resources. Women act as cultural spies, exposing uncircumcised partners, and even their own children are not allowed to call such men “daddy” until they have been circumcised. Among the Bamasaba, imbalu is a source of great pride.
Steven Masiga is a researcher from Mbale. Tel: 0782-231-577.
