This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
Published on June 18, 2020, a 34-year-old woman, Nancy Wairimu, shares her harrowing experience of being raped by a neighbour's son when she was just 23 years old.
According to clinical psychologist Sylvia Okwarah, most rapists are people known to their victims, and the attacks are often premeditated. They study their victim's movements, knowing when they return home from work or when their parents are not around.
Okwarah explains that rapists often have a history of mental trauma, which can be traced back to their environment. If they grew up being subjected to various forms of violence or witnessing it, rape becomes just another form of violence.
Counselling psychologist Prof Catherine Gachutha agrees, stating that many rapists have anger issues stemming from their past experiences of abuse or rejection. They may take revenge on their mother by sexually abusing women or exhibit compulsive obsessive behaviour, which they cannot control.
Prof Gachutha notes that the psychological impact of rape is devastating, leading to low self-esteem, far-reaching anger, and a sense of powerlessness. However, she emphasizes that it is possible to overcome the negative emotions and lead a happy, emotionally healthy life with the right support and healing process.
