Veronica Wangeci, 35, has lived with her son in Nairobi's Mathare slum for 17 years. During the violence that followed Kenya's disputed election in December 2007, she was thrown out of her home. She told IRIN/PlusNews about the sexual abuse she has endured since then.
"On the first of January [2008], two men came and threatened to cut me into pieces if I did not leave my house. I left with my son and sought refuge with a friend, where I stayed for two days before deciding to go back and check on my belongings.
"It was about three in the afternoon when I got off a matatu [minibus-taxi]. The bus stop was empty aside from a group of young men, some with crude weapons. I was confronted by two of the men, both of whom looked familiar, although I didn't know them personally. They pushed me against a kiosk and asked how I had dared to come back.
"One man started to pull at my clothes and told me to undress or else he would cut me into pieces with the machete he was holding. I was so afraid that I removed my blouse. He tore away my skirt, my panties and my bra. The other one was calling me names and laughing. I tried to plead with them to let me go, but they continued.
"I regretted that I was chasing after material things [her belongings].
"He then pushed me down on the ground and raped me. The other man was watching and suddenly noticed a police vehicle approaching, and that is when he got to his feet and they ran off.
"The police came to my rescue and helped me get up; they carried me off in their vehicle. One of them gave me his coat and we drove to a flat where one of the policemen got out and brought me a kanga [wrap], T-shirt and 100 shillings [US$1.40].
"I decided not to go to the hospital, as it is expensive and I had no money. My friend could not support us any longer and so I left for the chief's camp at Huruma [another Nairobi slum].
[The chief's camp is where the offices of the local chief, various local government officials and the district police are located. Chief's camps have been popular sites for people fleeing the post-election violence.]
"I met a man who frequented the camp area, and he befriended me and invited me to live with him, but slowly he started to abuse me. He would force me to have sex whenever he felt like, and when I refused he beat me. When he forced me to have sex with him, he never used a condom.
"Recently he confronted me and told me to move out of his house - he can no longer live with a displaced person in his house. Now I find myself displaced again looking for refuge at the chief's camp."
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
