A man stands next to the grave site of the deceased accused of raping his daughter 18 years ago in this picture taken on February 17, 2025.
At the burial of Salim Mohammed (not his real name) in Tana River County a sombre atmosphere defines the mood of the home as his body is prepared for burial.
His wife is downcast. In two years, she has buried three children, one disappeared 18 years ago never to be seen, and now, her husband is no more.
As mourners continue to stream into the homestead, two ladies drive-in in a white car, parking a distance away and taking a back seat at the burial ceremony.
Shortly after, the body of Mr Mohammed leaves the home for the mosque for the final prayers, and later to the grave for burial.
Minutes after the burial on Sunday, February 16, the two ladies who arrived in the car drove to the grave site.
Together, they walk to the grave holding hands and stand by it for about 20 minutes.
They are later joined by some bereaved family members, the sisters of the late Mohamed, and a few women.
But the two ladies, all covered up, decide to leave, leaving behind curious stares.
The village in Tana River where a 38 year old woman raped by her father returned after an 18-year exile for his burial.
Elders observe the events of the moment from a distance and decide to stop the two ladies before they board the vehicle. They insist they identify themselves, and the argument escalates to a scene that draws a crowd.
Before the situation blows out of proportion, some elders led by the elder brother of Mohamed join the crowd and plead for their identity concerning his dead brother.
When the veils are lifted, they all stare in utter shock.
Mwanahawa Hamisi (not her real name), 38, a daughter of the deceased who fled from home 18 years ago, has returned home with a grown child, the fruit of rape, a story she has returned to tell on her father's grave, the architect of her pain.
She was a young girl full of dreams and ambitions, a second-year student of Bachelor's in Education at a local university, and the father's favourite child.
She was the envy of many and tagged with her father on most occasions and places. If anyone wanted to get the location of the father, she would be the person to ask.
A day of sorrow suddenly welcomes a little joy as the crowd walks home in songs, a loss and a sudden gain mixing the emotions of the day.
As they enter the home, the mother hugs the daughter with passion, and the family gets down to the main matter, Ms Hamisi asks for an exclusive sitting.
While the rest of the people continue with songs outside, in the house, a cloud of gloom falls when Ms Hamisi breaks the silence with tears of pain, tearing her dress as she falls sitting on the mat at the center of the house.
"I didn't come to bury my father, I came to witness his burial. I should have left in peace, because for me, finally, God has paid my tears of 18 years, the pain of being raped by my father," she said.
The room bursts into grumbling, faces fall in shame, and elders' hands fall behind their heads.
One can read regret on their faces, this should not have happened.
"My father tricked me into traveling with him to Mombasa. My mother remembers that day we left home when he said he was going to withdraw some money, a loan he had secured for my school fees. We slept in a hotel where he laced my drink and raped me," she narrated.
She woke up in the morning to some excruciating pain, messed up, and blood all over the bed.
She narrated that the father asked her not to tell anyone about the incident and gave her Sh60,000 in cash and a cheque for her school fees.
"The girl you see seated behind me is the fruit of the evil my father committed towards me. When I learnt that I was expectant, I swore never to return home," she said.
Ms Hamisi also revealed that the mother was aware of her encounter, and instead of calling out the father at the time, she dismissed her and called her evil.
Having lost the only support she looked up to, she left home for campus, gave birth as a student, and would never return.
"My father is responsible for my pain, and twice he tried to have this child killed when he visited me in school to plead with me to terminate the pregnancy," she narrated.
After her fees for the final year were paid, she looked for a place to run to, and Narok was her safe spot where she settled and started small businesses that have grown and sustained her to this day.
She notes that pressure from her now-grown daughter to know her father led her back home, she has been procrastinating about taking her to her father.
"I received the information about my father's death through one of you that I have kept contact with and knows my story, and I decided to come and show my daughter her father's grave and the truth behind it so that I could finally be at peace," she said.
Dead silence engulfed the room, a pin drop would be a louder noise in that atmosphere, and the silence lasted 10 minutes before her mother would break the silence.
"I have lived with the burden of your loss, and the pain of what you told me 18 years ago before you fled, your father confessed it to me before he died, he wanted you to forgive him so that he may find peace," said Hamida Mohammed, the mother.
She further said that however difficult the situation may be, only forgiveness will heal individual hearts, she acknowledged her failure as a mother, urging her daughter to forgive and make peace with her.
"You are my daughter, and your daughter is equally my daughter, we cannot reverse what has already happened, but we can walk a better path," she said.
Suleiman Khalif Mohammed, a relative, reiterated the need for a cleansing ceremony for the family, an idea Ms Hamisi turned down, noting that the ritual will only cause her daughter harm.
"Normally when such things happen, we must do a cleansing ritual so that the future generations are not affected by this, but she has refused because she thinks we want to use the ritual to kill the daughter," he said.
Mr Khalif, however, notes that the return of Ms Hamisi is a relief to the family and a good sign of peace for the family that has been struck with calamities that threatened to sweep away all kin.
