Gang-rape that left Mt Elgon woman traumatised, the village ‘laughing stock’

At the height of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) operations in Mt Elgon, Bungoma County, in 2007 and 2008, Joyce Koech – not her real name – had the worst experience of her life while fetching water from a stream in Chebuik village.

Ms Koech is heartbroken as she narrates the painful ordeal she underwent in the hands of people, villagers believe were KDF soldiers who raided the place looking for members of the Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF).

The militia was responsible for more than 600 killings and the displacement of 66,000 people between 2006 and 2008 when it was crushed by the military.

We meet Ms Koech in Bungoma during the launch of 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based-Violence campaign.

The 40-year-old woman says she was attacked and gang-raped during the violence that engulfed the country after the disputed 2007 General Election.

The incident, which occurred on a date she cannot remember, was the genesis of her marital problems.

She also became a victim of psychological torture, a situation that has persisted to date.

“I am from Mt Elgon where a lot happened in 2007 and 2008. Many residents still have scars and have not recovered from what they suffered at the hands of the SLDF and government security forces,” she says.

Torture

“We lost a lot physically and psychologically. When you see us dressed properly, do not assume that everything is okay.”

Ms Koech got pregnant as a result of the rape, which happened as her husband was being held by security agents.

She says her husband lost the ability to have children as a result of the torture.

“When my husband was released from detention, he found me pregnant. It was very painful and humiliating to him when I gave birth. He never forgave me,” Ms Koech says.

Ms Koech adds that whenever she looks at her son, it reminds her of the uncomfortable encounter with the armed rapists about a decade and a half ago.

She says the ordeal and its aftermath brought her shame and that she has never had justice or closure.

“I have other children and life is unbearable. Getting food, clothes and other basics has become a nightmare. I have suffered for a mistake that was not of my making,” she says.

“My husband was badly injured. Whenever he looked at the child, he thought I used to entertain other men when he was in detention.”

Having a child that is a product of rape has subjected Ms Koech to indignity by villagers, friends and even relatives.

“As one of the survivors of gender-based violence, I was tortured. I gave birth to a child whose father I have never known,” she says.

Bitter victim

Ms Koech’s family members have never accepted her son.

At one point, her husband beat the child so badly that the boy failed to attend school for a whole term, the woman says.

“As a married woman, giving birth to a child who is not your husband’s is not just degrading but a taboo. Dowry in our community is cherished. In fact, it is more important than the wife,” she says.

“My husband was very bitter with me. There was no peace at home. We once slept in the forest after he chased us from his house.”

“He even told the other children that my son is not their sibling. They have isolated him since.”

Ms Koech has been the talk of Chebuik with villagers branding her the “KDF wife”.

The insults come from both men and women.

“My life is no joke. People stare and say: ‘See the KDF wife’ whenever I am out. They call me all kinds of names. I am now known as the KDF woman in this village. Every time I ask for something, I am told to go to the military,” she says.

KDF Director of Public Relations Bogita Ongeri did not respond when contacted by phone, texts or WhatsApp by the Saturday Nation when asked to comment on the matter.

Bad omen

With the recent death of Ms Koech’s husband, the bad situation has become even more grim.  Her in-laws want her not to pay much attention to the child who is perceived as a bad omen.

Since the boy is seen as not being part of the family, nobody bothers with his education.

Ms Koech says if all had gone well, the child would be in Standard Six this year.

“Those I am left with do not see the child as belonging to this family. They tell me to focus on their flesh and blood. The boy is 12 but rarely goes to school,” she says. 

What pains Ms Koech even more is that many women silently suffer gender-based violence in Mt Elgon.

She accuses State administrators and relevant agencies of doing little to fight the entrenched vice.

“The government is not bothered about us. I am bitter because we have been tortured but it appears justice will elude us forever. The perpetrators are out there causing misery to many other women,” she says.

With the 2022 General Election approaching, Ms Koech’s biggest fear is a repeat of the 2007/8 bloodbath.

“The government must preach and enforce peace as the elections near. It is women who suffer most when there is violence. They also bear the scars of such mayhem like I do for the rest of their lives,” she says.

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