I really pity the church that she can go advising her members not to involve themselves with the activities of a traditional entity or entities that they know nothing about. To me the church is one hell of a confused body that cannot indulge the members on cultural practices where most of its older members have gone through and they still do to date.

To start with, to be admitted to a Kiama did not mean that you were going to commit any illegality like oathing. There is no where in gikuyu history where the Ciama cia Athuri performed any oathing.

Secondly, the Agikuyu people, Kiama kia athuri agikuyu members feared/fear God and so does the church. Before any Kiama activities start they have to pray first and ask for blessings from Ngai (God)...and surprisingly the church follow that procedure too and they pray to Ngai.

Thirdly, Traditionally the Kiama kia Athuri activities during the entire session were four:

1. Admitting new members

2. Promotion of ripe members into the higher categories of Kiama hierachy. Here you have to appreciate that the lowest category (junior) is the man (Unmarried) who has paid/given the Ngoima ya Hako. This was/is mainly done by the young man's father on his son's behalf. After going through the basic lessons on how to carry himself and handle matrimonial and community issues and lastly gets married, he becomes legible to be promoted to the next category of Ndegwa after paying the required Ngoima ya Ndegwa. To be admitted to the next category (Horio) you are required to have accomplished some certain things in your married life (like having paid all you Ruracio(dowry))and participation in some certain community affairs too. There is the last category which is largely ignored known as Mwana. Here you had to give the Ngoima ya Mwana. This one occured at the vast ages (75 years and above) and was composed of old men who were preparing to pass the mantle to the next generation.

3. Dealing with cases (criminal, matrimonial and any other social ills or individual complaints which require settlement in terms of justice) and deliver judgement. This is akin to Judicial activities. The cases that were taken to Ciama cia Athuri had to be dealt with by the village elders first (Athuri a Thome) and if they cannot be resolved here that is when they were escalated to the kiama.

4. Discussions on the prevailing wider community issues affecting her well being, like for example, boys' circumcision period and which Riika the boys will be under, whether there is any threats from surrounding communities, whether there is any unusual occurencies, diseases and scourges that would require attention etc.

For all practical purposes No. 3 above was the most important.

As you can see there is a very close relationship between the way the church does their things right from worshiping to her own internal administration and the traditional methods used in keeping the society healthy or intact.
Here I am fully convinced that the church especially in Kikuyu regions borrowed heavily from the traditions.

Lately, I can see the same church has even taken the responsibility of arranging for the boys' circumcision...very interesting huh!!

Is the church now trying to criticise some things that they have been doing for the last 100 years?

Ndio sasa PCEA wanasema if you want to follow those ways of your ancestors ujue hailingani na Ukristo.

Why do people still want to be recognized as Christians if they think it's foreign and that our ancestors' ways were perfect?

Just be true to the god of the mountain and also to your ancestors. Pour libations and sacrifice to them. Go the whole hog and circumcise your daughters.

It's the superior way of the ancestors, right?

The PCEA church can't claim to be the sole arbiter of who is a Christian and who isn't.

Therefore it's probable that a group can have both traditional and Christian practice.

Na free masonry ni ukristo?

This is the reason why I say Africans are very confused. Very confused. No wonder we have so many problems.

If you decide you are a Christian. Please stick to Christinity.

If you decide you are a Muslim. Please stick to Islam.

If you decide you are a kiama kinda fella, PCEA has said wewe sio wao.

Sasa mnataka nini? This confusion in the Kikuyu especially is just a bit too much. You will never see me joining a kiama coz I see absolutely no purpose for it. Other than eating the money from a young guy hustling to marry their daughter. What purpose is this Kiama thing?

Watu wachague. Stop being confused and bringing confusion to your own families.