This archive report was first published on 2 November 2019.
On a Friday, two women from Ntongoni village in Tharaka-Nithi County appeared before a court, sharing a shocking story of how they circumcised each other using a razor blade.
Winjoy Wanja, 27, and Julia Ngugi, 25, who are married to two brothers, claimed they decided to undergo the procedure to protect their children from a lineage curse.
According to the women, an ancestor in their marital home left a curse before she died, stating that all women married into the family must be circumcised or else their children will die.
The women alleged that the spirit of their husbands' great grandmother had been haunting them every night, visiting them in dreams and asking them to choose between getting circumcised or losing all their children.
Ms Wanja has three children, while Ms Ngugi has two.
"We decided to circumcise each other to avoid the death of our children," Ms Wanja said.
The women claimed that when they were getting married, their husbands did not inform them about the family curse. They added that they realized there was a curse in the family after they started experiencing sleepless nights.
Ms Ngugi said that after undergoing the 'cut', the spirit stopped visiting them.
On November 2, 2019, the two suspects were ordered to remain in custody until November 14, when they will be brought back to court for judgment.
FGM is banned in Kenya under the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, 2011, which came into effect on October 4, 2011.
