This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
On August 16, 2019, Saumu Sonko, daughter of Nairobi governor Mike Sonko, took to her Instagram stories to share her heart-wrenching experience with a toxic relationship.
At the tender age of 21, Saumu found herself in an abusive relationship with her ex-fiancé Benson Gatu, which left her needing depression pills.
"Honestly, I'm not a relationship expert, all I was doing is research for some NGO... and I realized so many women are affected by this," Saumu wrote.
She used herself as an example, stating that her first relationship at 21 was damaging and left her on depression pills for a while. She also shared that her second relationship at 23 was marked by violence, but she was stronger and didn't care about criticism.
"Most women should know that if your kids see you physically abused all the time, all they will know is violence, it will damage them psychologically," Saumu wrote.
She advised young girls to walk away from toxic relationships and to always ensure they have something to call their own.
"Love knows no religion, it's what makes us whole time for. Life is too short learn to put yourself first. To young girls don't rush it, sometimes I say to myself I wish I knew better," Saumu wrote.
