How Mombasa girls are using goat blood to fake virginity

• In a tradition long gone, a white sheet with the bride’s blood was produced as proof of her virginity
• Girls conspired to display fake blood, while others underwent surgical procedures to ‘restore purity’

Virgin Swahili brides were as common in Mombasa as the white sandy beaches in South Coast. The only time a man missed a virgin was when marrying a widow or a divorcée. Now, virgins are as scarce as night travel by bus from Mombasa.