Man loses genitals in Imbalu rite

Nineteen-year-old Gidudu (not real name), was happy about his impending circumcision.

The year 2020 is for Imbalu among the Bamasaba, who largely occupy the areas around Mt. Elgon in eastern Uganda.

Imbalu is the traditional circumcision rite for all Bamasaba boys as a rite of passage to adulthood.

But, early this year, the government slapped a ban on social gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the imbalu rite, somehow, continued, quietly, in the remote areas. Thus, Gidudu and a few of his age-mates, looked forward to that day for them to ‘become men'.

But, alas; when the day finally came, it stripped Gidudu of his manhood.

What happened?

As the custom dictates, the ritual began as early as dawn. Gidudu's moment came in the afternoon, at about 2:00pm, when he was guided to the spot identified as the shrine for the circumcision.

The circumciser instructed him to stand still, with his legs astride. He obliged.

He rolled his arms around a stick, placed on his shoulders. He was not expected to express feeling of pain.

He heard voices from onlookers, reminding him how he hails from a brave clan and how he should not betray the family.

"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," Gidudu recalled.

Not my imagination 

Gidudu said even the elders in the crowd advanced closer, to examine the incision. Upon noticing what had happened, they got herbs out of their bags, to stop the bleeding.

He realised that something was wrong when he was exempted from the last procession, done by freshly circumcised boys, in the company of relatives and wellwishers.

Later, the leaves and concoctions were crushed and applied to the wound and some were given to him for drinking.

"For months, I could not sleep because of the throbbing pain from the wound that was not responding to treatment," Gidudu said.

When the traditional treatment failed, he was taken to local clinics, which advised the family to rush him to hospital.

He was rushed to Mbale Regional Hospital on August 28, four months after the circumcision.

Doctors who attended to him recommended surgery, to save his life. Thus his genitals were cut off.

Doctor's explanation 

The Elgon region Police surgeon, Dr Barnabas Rubanza, who is also the officer in charge of the Elgon region Police health service centre in Mbale, said 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," Rubanza said.

The dorsal artery is the main blood supplying conduit of the penis. It lies so close from the outer skin of the shaft.

Unfortunately, when the artery was ripped, both the victim and people around him, did not readily detect the gravity of the damage.

They continued to administer herbal concoction on the wound.

Possible effect 

Makerere University don and psychologist Dr Nathan Muwereza describes Gidudu's fate as considerably regrettable.

He added that Gidudu is likely to hate the traditional imbalu ceremony for the rest of his life.

"He requires urgent counselling therapy, to help him realise that losing genitals is not the end of life. Action must be taken or he may become a loner and, at worst, commit suicide" he observes.

He further said as a result of the medical intervention, Gidudu has a faint chance of bearing children.

"But he can be financially empowered to bear himself children using scientific means," he said.

New twist 

Wamakesi, who was tending to him, said the wound around the stump of the patient's genitals was healing. However, they were toying with a new problem.

"Urine constantly oozes out of the outlet (urethra) in the middle of the stump. We have to wrap several layers of cloth around, to stop it from wetting the bed," Wamakesi said.

"I will never be the man I dreamt to become," he sobbed, tears running down his cheeks. He still cannot imagine why that happened to him. More than a dozen boys at Namesi in Bududa district, went through the circumcision ritual.

Why the mistake? 

Charles Wamunga, a 42-year-old traditional circumciser, said Gidudu's accident was a rare case in a long time and blames new entrants in the field.

"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.

He said Mbale hospital registers, on average, 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.