Jacinta Wanjiku, a woman who began consuming alcohol at age 13, described enduring physical and emotional abuse from her mother and a family member. She revealed that her mother encouraged a romantic relationship with her father's friend, leading to a forced marriage and financial exploitation.
"I started drinking alcohol when I finished eighth grade, and later I would go to school while intoxicated. My mother began telling me I had a romantic relationship with my father's friend." "After my mother entered a relationship, I couldn't write a letter for something I didn't understand as a child. My mother believed we were deeply connected to my father," Wanjiku explained.
Despite dropping out of school, Wanjiku faced continued harassment from her mother, who pressured her to marry the family friend. The man later demanded 35,000 shillings from her mother to take her as a wife.
"My mother told me the man would send me to school, but after two days, he told me he was my husband. I was forced to stay with him despite not being his wife through his family." "I was told I had to stay with him because he was my husband, but I never married his family," Wanjiku said.
The ordeal left Wanjiku traumatized, with her mother later admitting the man had no legal claim to her. The case highlights systemic issues of familial abuse and exploitation in the region.
