On Sunday morning in Kibera you wake up excited like something is going to change your life forever, people are talking and walking, cars are driving and Boda bodas are dancing through the alleys. You look forward to creating a near perfect experience for yourself as the day blossoms.

There are kids playing in the streets, people politicking, shopkeepers and street vendors arranging their stocks for sale and then there’s a procession of an infant being thrown in the air. Africa Roho Msalaba Church is a Christian movement that emerged during the colonial era also known as the Holy spirit churches, with a strong focus on spiritual gifts and powers, the church had a strong history of rejecting western cultures and religious ideologies while placing a high significance on community empowerment. Ogole- a Luo word for child purification after birth, largely discussed in Tim Jo lawi 12- the book of Leviticus chapter 12, ARMC mother church in Kibera, has been practicing this ever since its inception, they are staunch believers of the words and believes that the lord says a woman who gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period.

The woman must wait 33 days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait 66 days to be purified from her bleeding. The church and its members have a parade where the baby is prepared for baptism and dedication, this usually includes a street walk from the mother’s house to the main church. They believe that salvation is not for the individual but the whole community