You have probably heared about red thigh Kikuyu women and the mysteries surrounding their life and those they interact with intimately.
It is a myth that has existed from time immemorial among the Kikuyu community.
However, during a research for this article, we discovered that this myth exists not only among the Agikuyu , but also in many other communities across Africa.
But in the Kikuyu community, the red thigh women are described by many as ‘men killers’ because men who come close to them suffer. In the local dialect they are referred to as ‘atumia a ciero ndune’ directly translated into ‘women of the red thigh’.
Generally, it is believed that the women carry a curse or an evil spirit and any man who sleeps with them is bound to die.
How To Identify Red Thigh Women
These women cannot be identified by simply looking at them, our reasearch on past interviews has shown.
People from different clans among the Kikuyu wouldd easily identify them, and warn their men against associating with them. However, this is difficult today with the adoption of the western culture and crumbling of our our African community structures.
The red thigh women are beautiful and charming, any man would fall for them easily, but the women only get to know of their condition when men they marry or get intimate with die mysteriously.
Word is, a woman with the red thigh would ‘kill’ at least four men and only the fifth one would survive. Summarily, the red spot symbolizes danger and it was a taboo for a man to marry such woman.
Interestingly, this spiritual disease is said to also affect men; thus red thigh men, as averd by a Kikuyu elder Allan Kamau Kibe in a past interview.
Just like their women counterparts, women who sleep with these men also dies under unclear circumstances.
“We also have men, in Kikuyu (mundurume wa runyaga, the male organ has bright spots like burns on the tip), and they too are misfortunes,” said Josphat Muchoki.
Origin Of Red Thigh Woman
Among the Kikuyu community, this is a woman who was conceived when there was a funeral/burial in the family. This is because it was a taboo (mûgiro) to ‘sleep’ together (have sex) during such times.
In the Meru tribe, these women are referred to as Ngirani. They were often children born as a result of anti social behaviour in the community such as sleeping with a close relative, for instance a daughter, son, sister or brother.
These Ngirani or Kiero Gitune in Meru would only be married off as second wives or by old men who had divorced or lost their first wives.
Those who have red wide also say a similar scenaria is depicted in , “The Concubine”, by Elechi Amadi.
How Red Thigh Women Cause Death
It is believed that during intercourse, the partner with the red spot would drain energy from the other making him/her weak and this probably sparks the strange ailments, which eventually lead to death.
To note as we conclude is that, some of these men and women are believed to literally have ‘red spots’ in their thighs.
