This archive report was first published on 5 October 2019.
On a typical day in Eastlands, a mother of two found herself in a situation that could have left her shaken. But instead, she chose to stand up to the bully and take back power.
It started when a Forward T matatu T-boned her car and drove off, leaving her stranded. A kind stranger came to her aid, providing her with the matatu's registration number. But things took a turn for the worse when the matatu's tout threatened her, saying he would rape her.
Most people would have cowered in fear, but not this mother. She rolled down her window and asked the tout to mark her number plate, saying 'I'll be on this road again at 5pm. Ukuje.' The tout was shocked, and his power over her was broken.
The mother's courage did not go unnoticed. The police eventually caught up with the matatu, and the owner was forced to fix her car. The mother's daughters were proud of her for standing up to the bully, and she was proud of herself for choosing not to pass on feelings of shame.
As the writer of this story so eloquently puts it, 'It is these little acts of courage, these little victories, multiplied a thousand times, that truly change the world.'
- The writer is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya
