Muthoni Gitau: I was raped by a friend's roommate

05 October 2021

•"That evening I started getting random texts from my friend's roommate telling me to prepare myself but I never thought much into it." -Muthoni Gitau

Kenyan You Tuber Muthoni Gitau has opened up on her journey to healing after she was sexually abused.

Sharing her story through the segment 'Engage Talk' Muthoni recalled;

"I used to work for a theatre company and would perform poetry, act on stage, stints on TV shows as an extra.

Things at home started becoming rocky because my dad was not OK with the fact that most of these shows were only happening at night.

I was 22 at the time.

My high school friend who lived in Naivasha called me and told me that there was a play and I could attend.

After the play I asked my friend if I could go with her and explore Naivasha, she told me she was going back on Friday so we could not meet then.

She lived with her brother."

Muthoni says after planning Naivasha trip with her friend, she stopped receiving her calls.

"On Friday my friend was not picking up the calls she kept texting me telling me bado anakuja so I continued waiting.

At around 10 PM is when she told me we would go on Sunday. I was like 'But I have been here waiting for you but I said it's OK.

I could not go back home as my sister had told me that my dad was already home and I did not want to explain where I was coming from at 11:00 PM.

So I called a friend and asked them to let me stay at their place and they said it was OK, So off I went to Wangige."

What Muthoni did not know is that staying with that friend would change the course of her life forever.

It is here where she ended up being raped.

"On Saturday I called my friend and she told me instead of Saturday we would go on Sunday so I requested to stay an extra day at my friend's house in Wangige.

On that Saturday, We chilled watched movies, and even thought of a script we could work on.

That evening I started getting random texts from my friend's roommate telling me to prepare myself but I never thought much into it.

On that day when the rape occurred, my friend told me that his roommates were coming with his friends adding that on that day I couldn't sleep on the couch.

At almost midnight the roommate and the friends came, they started eating, laughing etc.

My friend decided to leave the room and never explained why.

The roommate then locked the door and asked me if I was ready, I was confused but he proceeded and raped me."

Muthoni added;

"After raping me he went back into the room and continued merrymaking, my friend (who had hosted me) then came back into the room and went to bed facing away from me.

After some time the guys went into the bedroom while I went to the sitting room as it was too late and I couldn't go anywhere at that time.

When they woke up the rapist said 'anaweza enda sasa hatutaki housewife."

Muthoni says the incident led her to start drinking to numb the trauma. For five years she never spoke about the incident.

Two years ago the rapist reached out to Muthoni on social media. She is still healing from the scars left behind.

Listen to the entire interview below.

Unresolved trauma festers like a flesh-eating bacteria on a wound. The longer it stays unattended to, the deeper it eats into the soul of the host. Muthoni Gitau, an African content creator and DIY queen knows this all too well. After a traumatic violation, Muthoni thought she could suppress the pain and for years, sought ways to numb it with alcohol. This only led to more pain. A caring friend and a therapist have helped her begin dealing with the layers of pain. Now she doesn’t need to hide behind red lipstick. In this candid and courageous story, we are encouraged to feel and deal with our pain to heal. #depression #mentalhealth #trauma https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD-Mf4F5ZQ1Jw-?sub_confirmation=1 Engage provides a platform for ordinary and extraordinary people to Inform. Inspire. Influence.