This archive report was first published on 1 August 2019.
Published on August 1, 2019, gospel singer Ruth Matete has spoken out about her traumatic childhood, revealing that she was raised in violent homes.
Matete, a Tusker Project Fame (TPF) 5 winner, shared her story on Ebru TV, recalling the six or seven years she spent with her mother and her mother's husband in Kakamega. She described her stepfather as violent and a drunkard who would often beat her and her mother.
Matete's mother had married her stepfather when Matete was still young, and she spent the first years of her life with them. However, her mother later introduced her to her biological father, who took her to Nairobi to live with him and his wife.
Matete's stepmother was also not kind to her, and she would often beat her. Matete recalled one particularly painful incident where her stepmother beat her with a Mwiko until it broke, all because she had not done something correctly.
Despite her tough past, Matete has spoken about how it has prepared her for who she is today and has not held her back from pursuing her music career. She has gone on to talk about other aspects of her life, including her music journey.
