The death of a 14-year-old boy allegedly at the hands of a gang in Nakuru, three days after he was circumcised, has prompted security agencies and Kikuyu councils of elders to issue a fresh alert over attacks on healing initiates.
The boy, identified as Elvis Maina of Kabatini in Bahati sub-County, was allegedly tortured to death in the name of preparing him for the challenges of manhood after undergoing circumcision on November 2, 2026.
The Grade Eight pupil at Murangaro Junior Secondary School died in his bed on November 5, 2026, leaving his relatives demanding justice as police investigate the incident as murder.
According to a postmortem report shared by the family, the boy died of ruptured intestines, allegedly caused by blunt force trauma to the abdomen and overbleeding.
Family spokesperson Beth Maina said the matter had been reported to police and investigations had begun.
The boy’s aunt, Sarah Kamogo, said Elvis was the firstborn in a family of three children and a disciplined pupil who had dreams of becoming an engineer.
The late Elvis Maina.
Photo credit: Pool
She said the family suspected that Elvis was assaulted after a group of young men visited him just when he arrived home following the procedure.
She said more than 20 young men had visited the home on Monday as part of the community's customary practice of welcoming boys who had undergone circumcision.
“We just want justice for his death. He did not deserve to die in such a manner. Whoever did this to him must be held accountable. We believe he was assaulted during the gathering. As a family we were expecting to receive him back home in good health after 21 days,” she said amid tears.
Nakuru North Sub-County Police Commander Elisha Obado said the incident was being investigated as murder.
He said three suspects had been arrested and the court had granted investigators 21 days to continue holding them as investigations proceeded.
“This is a retrogressive culture that demands that fresh initiates be toughened by all manner of toughies, some very dangerous criminals,” he said.
Nakuru North Sub-County Police Commander Elisha Obado addresses the media
Photo credit: LELETI JASSOR/ MTAA WANGU
Mr Obado said the postmortem findings and the family's account supported the murder investigation, particularly because the boy had complained before his death that he had been assaulted and forced to clear mountains of food.
“It is normal for neighbouring circumcised boys to visit the initiate in his cubicle and eat and drink. It is part of the culture. But not all report there with humble intentions. This is one of such criminal engagements with an initiate,” he said.
Central Region Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha has since directed his juniors in Nyeri, Murang’a, Nyandarua, Kirinyaga and Kiambu counties to be on high alert, as December is the peak month for male circumcision.
“We want any case of assault to be reported immediately and, where it applies, police should be called when suspects are still in the compound,” Mr Nkanatha said, adding that “there is no place for torture as a way of indoctrinating an initiate into manhood”.
He said chiefs, assistant chiefs and village elders had been directed to closely monitor the welfare of fresh initiates.
Mr Kung’u Muigai, the patron of Kiama Kia Ma, said boys must remain under the watch of trusted relatives at all times.
“Relatives must not leave freshly circumcised boys unattended. At all times, they must be under the watch of trusted relatives. We are also urging the police to monitor activities in known brothels where the boys are taken to have unprotected sex in the name of cleaning off the impurities of the knife,” Mr Muigai said.
Kung’u Muigai.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
He said the sexual practice is known as kuhura mbiro (cleaning the soot) from the circumcised organ.
Mr Muigai said the Agikuyu have no such cultural practice and that people with malicious intentions invented it and presented it as a ritual.
“There are brothels where commercial sex workers charge the boys Sh3, 000 for that sexual act. This should be cracked down. There are those warped minds who take women to the healing boys in their cubicles and force them to have sex. All these are criminal activities,” he said.
He said no initiate should be taken to a seclusion house whose caretaker is unknown to the family and not approved by elders.
Kikuyu Council of Elders Chairman Wachira Kiago said elders would work with security agencies to make male circumcision safe.
“We are telling parents to know who is taking care of their sons. If you do not know the caretaker, do not leave your child there,” Mr Kiago said.
Kikuyu Council of Elders chairman Wachira Kiago addresses a press conference on December 18, 2020.
The Nakuru incident has renewed concerns over the safety of minors during traditional circumcision ceremonies, particularly the practices surrounding their care and supervision during recovery.
In 2025, a young initiate, a grade nine boy, succumbed to injuries believed to have been inflicted by his caregiver during the period of confinement within Keriko village.
The deceased, who was living with his grandfather, had been in seclusion for three days only to succumb to his injuries at home.
A postmortem conducted at the Nakuru City Mortuary revealed internal injuries consistent with repeated assault.
The minor’s intestines had ruptured from the beating he received and he also had a blood clot in the head and extensive injuries to his private parts.
This same year, two brothers were left nursing serious injuries after they were allegedly assaulted by their appointed “guardian” in KCC slums in Naivasha, where they had been taken to undergo seclusion.
The two boys, aged 15 and 14, were taken to Naivasha sub-County Hospital for treatment on November 21 and were later discharged.
The two Naivasha boys were attacked repeatedly by their caregiver who was supposed to help them navigate the healing period, teach cultural values, and ensure they adhered to the rules of seclusion.
Instead, the boys endured days of harassment, physical punishment, and humiliation before their parents were notified.
