Among the Taita, there was a distinct difference between the houses inhabited by men and women. While all the huts were circular with conical-shaped roofs, a man’s hut was plastered with mud while a woman’s hut was thatched with grass from wall to roof. Men were responsible for building their own huts as well as putting up the posts for the women’s huts. Women assisted each other with collecting the grass and thatching.
The huts were arranged in a semicircle with each wife’s granary next to her hut. The husband’s hut was the closest to the gate while the first wife’s hut sat next to his and opened towards the gate.
In addition to being the only mud house, the husband’s hut also had a double wall and two exits: one in the front and another at the back. All male children above the age of five and male visitors slept in the mud hut along with the husband, and the goats and sheep. Humans accessed the hut using the front entrance while animals used the back.
