Two Mukanda camp organizers have been detained by Livingstone police in Zambia on suspicion of bringing minors into the initiation camp without authorization.
The Livingstone City Council controls a part of land near Nakatindi Cemetery, and it has been accused of criminal trespass by Kenneth Makai, 67, of Mwandi Township, and Kays Kapalu, 46, of ZECCO Township.
The two men established the Mbunda Circumcision Camp on June 29, 2023, according to a statement from Deputy Commanding Officer Moono Namalongo of the Southern Province Police.
The camp has been running for the past twelve days. Namalongo continued, saying that a number of guardians and parents have charged the guys of bringing their kids into the camp against their will or knowledge.
In a related event, Mainga Kabika, the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the President’s Gender Division, has denounced the Mukanda rally in Livingstone.
Mrs. Kabika alleged that dishonest people who fraudulently claimed to represent the Zambezi Royal Establishment were responsible for organizing the event. Mrs. Kabika underlined that it is against children’s rights and human rights to execute harmful traditional rituals on them without getting permission from the kids, their parents, or guardians.
The government’s position on defending children’s rights and making sure that cultural customs do not violate personal liberties and human rights is demonstrated by the arrests and the censure that followed.
