This archive report was first published on 10 November 2019.
Fathers Betrayal: Shocking Tales of Defilement and Impregnation ¶
November 10, 2019
Halima Mohamed, a 50-year-old grandmother, vividly recalls her horrific experience of being defiled by her sister's eldest son when she was just three years old. Her mother had left her in the care of her sister's eldest son while she traveled from Mtwapa in Mombasa to Kuria in Nyanza.
Halima's mother suggested that she be left at her eldest sister's place again, but she violently resisted. It was only after her mother questioned her behavior that the girl, who was now a bit older, opened up about the defilement. She says even after refusing to go to her sister's place, she was violated by her brother and later an uncle, although on separate occasions.
Halima, who has worked as a commercial sex worker for most of her adult life, warns parents not to trust anyone, even their own brothers, and to keep a close eye on their daughters. She says rape is not a crime committed by strangers, but by close family members, and that victims have no reason to distrust them.
In another case, a 12-year-old girl was impregnated by her biological father, who then tried to procure an abortion. The girl was secretly taken to a private clinic in Mombasa town, where the clinician realized there had been an attempt to procure an abortion. The medic then called the mother to the clinic and advised her to keep mum as the couple took their daughter to the recovery center.
However, the mother secretly called the police to arrest the man while the girl was admitted for treatment and further counseling. When news of the arrest broke, scandalized family members disowned the mother and daughter, accusing them of maliciously plotting to put the man behind bars.
The case has not been finalized, but the mother and daughter were forced to relocate to Taita. In another case, a young mother left her four-year-old daughter in the care of her spouse when she relocated to Saudia for work. The father brutalized the child for months, leaving her with badly damaged private parts and a life sentence for the perpetrator.
Topista Juma, who works with Muslim for Human Rights, has had her share of horror in her defense of sexually brutalized children. According to Juma, the most horrific attack was executed by Bomu Assistant location chief, Mohamed Nyando, who sexually assaulted a boy who had been taken to his office for stealing a phone.
The administrator ordered the boy to kneel down for hours in his office and then ordered him to perform oral sex if he wanted to be pardoned. The traumatised boy rushed home crying after the ordeal. At first, there was an attempt to cover up the crime, but the ODPP intervened, and after DNA tests were conducted, the sub-chief's body fluids matched those recovered on the boy's uniform.
The matter was reported to the police, and the perpetrator was arrested, tried, and ultimately jailed for ten years. The boy's family had to relocate from Changamwe, and the victim has since dropped out of school.
