Butere is a town in Kakamega County in Kenya. Since time immemorial, the town with over 4,000 people has been practicing a rather obscure custom that would have never come to the limelight had health officials not raised concern.
The custom sees men competing with newborns for breast milk. As such, mothers feed their babies with one breast and leave the other for their husbands, local media Nairobi News reports.
Under the practice, newborns are not allowed to suck the breast reserved for their fathers.
“When a man sucks the breast of his wife who is lactating, the child should not breastfeed on the same breast.
This child will die. Our Luhya cultural practices don’t allow this,” an 82-year-old man who refused to be identified was quoted by Nairobi News.
Sucking has nothing to do with breast milk.
For the men in the town, the custom has nothing to do with breast milk, but it is rather a way of preventing their wives and children from being cursed. Others said they suck their wives’ breasts to ensure the romance remains even after childbirth.
But health officials are worried about the consequences on children and thus, in 2014, Butere sub-county public health officer Mr. Oliver Walutila started a campaign to end the custom in the area.
That is yet to achieve the desired result as according to a 57-year-old father of five, the age-old custom is still being passed to the younger generation.