Sodomy
A 39-year-old man from Kanyiriini village, Kandara, in Murang’a County is seeking justice after he was sodomised by a prominent businessman who is still at large out of laxity by police to prosecute him.
The unmarried victim says his assailant, a family friend and respected church elder, lured him to his retail shop near their home and drugged him using alcohol in order to achieve the repugnant scheme. He recounted how he was offered whisky which made him dizzy and disoriented, only to wake up in the wee hours of the night to find that he had been sodomised.
“I was heading home on a Sunday evening, when the man, who I have interacted with for some time working for him called me to his shop. He then shared some whisky which I reluctantly accepted because of the trust I had in him. After a few sips, I lost my memory only to wake up next to him and both of us naked while feeling sharp pain from my behind,” he says.
He added that when he saw a used bottle of ointment on a table in the room, it dawned on him that he had been sexually assaulted. When he confronted the assailant, he says, he laughed it off, then took him to hospital and vanished.
“I believe that he drugged me because in the years I have taken alcohol, never have I ever been knocked out of my senses. He entrapped me because there was a time I was away and I came to learn that he used to enquire a lot about my whereabouts,” he says.
The complainant says he then filed a report at Muruka police post, and the businessman was arrested but several weeks passed and the investigations stalled. He adds that he started receiving threats and was eventually bribed to withdraw his case, while the businessman was released from custody under unclear circumstances.
“One of the investigating officers summoned me to the station, where he threatened to arrest me if I refused to withdraw the case. He then handed me Sh60,000 which I used for medication and the businessman was released unconditionally,” he said.
Since then, his life was shattered, he was abandoned by his friends and shunned by the community hence subjecting him to serious trauma. “I’m still in serious pain. I feel wasted. None of my friends want to associate with me. Sometimes I contemplate committing suicide but I realize that I need to fight for justice,” he said.
He now appeals to the government and civil society for help saying he still fears for his safety as the stigma of the assault continues to haunt him. Kandara Sub County Deputy Police Commander, Pauline Letangule confirmed the incident saying the matter got concluded since the victim voluntarily withdrew the case.
She however defended the police on the bribery allegations adding that the businessman was out on a police bond. Despite the overwhelming odds, the man remains determined that one day, he will get justice and that the law will catch up with the devious businessman.