This archive report was first published on 24 November 2019.
On February 10, 2018, Wendy Kemunto's birthday plans took a devastating turn when she was assaulted and abused by two Kenyan rugby players, Alex Olaba and Frank Wanyama.
According to Kemunto, she had been planning to celebrate her birthday with friends, but things didn't go as planned. She ended up at her friend's place, where the friend and his friend turned out to be her assailants.
"Unfortunately, I was assaulted and abused that night. I didn't realize what was happening at first because I was unconscious," Kemunto recalled.
She believes that the players drugged her, which is why she was in and out of consciousness during the whole incident.
"I was very okay when I got there, I admit that it was my birthday and we had a few drinks, but at the same time, I knew I was aware of my surroundings," Kemunto said.
Despite her attempts to escape, Olaba and Wanyama became aggressive, scaring her and making her afraid of the situation escalating further.
"I just let them do what they wanted until they eventually stopped and that's when I decided to leave," Kemunto narrated.
After the incident, Kemunto struggled with suicidal thoughts and feelings of guilt and shame. She eventually discovered she was pregnant, but the news of her assault made rounds on social media, affecting her deeply.
"That affected me very much, and in my fifth month, I had a miscarriage. The doctors said it was due to stress and the environment I was in," Kemunto said.
However, when her assailants were sentenced to 15 years in jail by Milimani Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku, it brought closure for Kemunto.
"I was in denial, and I knew as much as I was grateful for the support in terms of the legal process, I was sure I wasn't going to win this case," Kemunto said.
Her biggest lesson from the whole incident was to accept her emotions, rather than pushing them down.
