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| Courtesy: Fashion Reverie |
We had just finished our Friday gig at a Five Star Hotel along Valley Road,
and I was in no mood for chit-chat. It had been a long week and all I wanted
was to go home and rest. Being a live musician, weekends are the buzziest and I
needed to re-energize. I gave my fellow band members goodnight kisses and hit
the road.
Normally we head to town as a team but this day I was impatient.
After all, it was Friday at 11.00 PM and the streets were much alive.
I walked down the lonely path and crossed to the other
side of the road. It was still early, and I did think of calling an Uber besides
that day I was on a tight budget. Just as I got to the bus stop someone had
been dropped off by a cab and the driver offered to drop me in town. We
exchanged some pleasantries, negotiated the price, and off we went.
You know the kind of small talk that goes on in a cab,
right? Did a bit of that, and talked about the economy, how Nairobi is, the weather, and practically nothing we had a common interest in till there was a sudden
change of topic. Given the distance between Valley Road and town in the middle of
the night, there was no room for topic variety.
Somewhere in our conversation, the cab driver wanted
to know where I was heading so that he drops me off there. I only had Kshs. 200
in my pocket and wanted to stop over at town first so I gave a false location
and insisted I needed to do something in town first.
Back to the change of topic. When we got to Hilton which
was to be my destination, he suddenly locked the doors not sure how, but I could
not open them. He then demanded cash and all valuables which I didn’t have much
to offer. Given I had little to offer he became hostile and I realized this was
no longer a cab driver. Thinking quickly, I told him I could even ask friends to
send money, but he was least interested.
“You got into the wrong cab on a wrong night”, he
told me as he speed off through Moi Avenue towards Railways.
This was a moment of crisis and I knew deep in my
heart that there were two eventualities; he either rapes me or kills me. Either
way, I had no way out. He told me to place everything I had on the dashboard and
empty my pockets. He took my phone and switched it off. Within no time we were driving through Upper Hill and
the conversation was heading to uncensored content.
At this point, I remembered
all I have ever been taught about dealing with an abuser or rapist. He hurled some
insults at women and said some things I would rather not share then told me to
open my pants and take them off.
By now we were in the middle of Mombasa Road
and he was driving in the middle of the road.
“You either do as I say or we both die”
Here is where I remembered that I need to be calm,
comply and negotiate for safe sex. This was the time to test whether the theory
works. My knowledge of psychology kicked in as my body went numb. I decide to
use his insults to my advantage. He put his hands on my thighs and my system
shut down, but I decided to keep my mind busy.
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| Courtesy: Bustle |
We were still on Mombasa Road, but I had lost sense of
direction given that he took so many turns and keep telling me, “You got into
the wrong cab on a wrong night”. He went on to please himself with my body combined
with his uncensored conversation.
Don’t forget he was still driving but now we
were no longer on the tarmac. He seemed so concerned about being infected with HIV
or STIs and that’s when I jumped in and told him he better protect himself
given I could not guarantee him anything.
To my surprise he had packs of condoms in the car and
in his manner of talk, he was suggesting that he has been doing this to young
girls in Nairobi. He then stopped the car in the middle of nowhere, pulled me
out and threw me to the ground, and went ahead to complete his mission. I could
feel his weight on me and his bad breath as I cried to God to give me a chance
to see my family again.
When he was satisfied, he threw my things at me and
left me there. As I looked around there was no home or structure around. At
least I had my phone back, so I called home. It was a long night, but my Dad
and brother finally located me. We reported the matter to Central Police Station,
and I was taken to Nairobi Women's Hospital for treatment.
It has been months since the incident, my case has
never been closed and I have little hope for this. I am however grateful to
Nairobi Women’s Hospital for the free treatment and counseling that has
enabled me to cope this far. As for my family, they have been my pillar
throughout this journey.
My life changed after getting into the wrong cab on
a wrong night. I am no longer doing night gigs despite it being how I used to
earn my living. Nightmares have become my companion and I now have a self-imposed
curfew. Paranoia and fear are things that I am battling each day.
I know that I am not the only one suffering but I hope
my story will be of help to someone as well as help me take a step closer to
healing.
For more on this topic watch this video on Sexual Offences Act
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