Outdated ‘Nyumba Mboke’ culture puts women at risk of HIV

A pregnant woman holding her stomach [Courtesy]

Alice was circumcised when she was 11 years old. Two years later, she fell pregnant and dropped out of school. She was forced to get ‘married’ to a woman in Kehancha, in a Kuria culture known as Nyumba Mboke. She is now living with HIV.

Catherine Tingo, the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) coordinator for Kuria East, explains the practice was adopted by women, who wanted to have male children and ensure continuity in the family.