Emmy Simotwo owned a PR firm and an events organisation company in Nairobi before persistent stalking by anonymous persons for a year drove her to close her businesses.

They did not want to kill her initially, but then all of a sudden, they started threatening her. Speaking to the Star, she recounted how it all started.

“I took a gospel artiste client for an interview then we went for an event that happens after every three months at the Carnivore Nairobi. After the event, someone called him and told him he was paid to kill him. I had gone for a holiday by the time he was sending me the message.

“I tried calling him but he was not available. What was so worrying is the fact that the artiste even quoted my whole conversation from the event. The guy told the artiste that had he escorted us after the event, he would have killed him.”

Did she report the matter to the police?

“Initially I feared reporting it because I had never been to a police station before, and the stories I had heard about cops were such that I was not ready to go to one. I stayed with the hope that these were just mind games and the stalkers would go away.

“A friend of mine had mentioned the story to her dad, so when we met there, the dad asked me for the OB number, but I had none. He took me to a police station, which was three months after the whole issue started. I did not want any drama with the cops, but when I was told the importance, I decided why not?”

Emmy says the stalking ruined her social life. “Everybody around me was affected and I had to shut down the list of friends I had. My perspective of friends changed. I mean, 90 per cent of them were affected because I could not trust people anymore.

“It also brought drama into my relationship, because my man could not understand what really was happening because he is that peaceful person. Plus sometimes he would use a different number, depending on his location, and I would think these are the same people calling again, so I would ignore.

“My life changed and till now, I don’t trust easily and I have not been picking clients because I have the mind that one of them can come off like a client and I don’t want that.”

Does the targeted artiste make so much money, or what could be the reason behind it all?

“I wouldn’t want to say what I suspect because I have so much suspicion. But on the other hand, I would say the artistes make so much money and they are doing well because when I met them, they were starting off. I mean, they were at zero then but now they are good. The issue the artiste had with these people, I don’t know.

What were they asking for from Emmy?

“They never asked for money. It was just mental torture and asking for someone who is not there, and after 20 minutes, someone else calls and asks for someone. Same line, but another person. They are like nyamaza! Meaning they were now aware I had reported the issue and they were trying to suppress the whole issue and make me unstable, so as not to think straight.

“For the longest time, I did not attend church but sure, God sustained me because I didn’t have bodyguards but no one did. I had to move from my house and even shift my things and at some point, I wished they could tell me they want to kill me.”

How was her family affected?

“My family asked me to leave the job, but as you know you can never run away from your passion they were super scared and at some point my mum got sick and I was always in the hospital. I remember there was this time I went to the hospital and the doctor told me, this time around I won’t give you medicine. Go back home na uache stress. I still have a funny ailment since then.

My mum got sick but she was not saying it, but my dad was a bit strong for us and especially for my mum who was super affected.”

What is the situation right now?

“Sometimes I get calls, but this is what I decided: I will continue with life because these people are moving on with their lives. If that is what they have been doing, then maybe they are doing that to another person. Maybe they don’t know about the artiste, coz I don’t think they still do that to him. The last time I spoke to him, I closed my office but the artiste is making money. I haven’t been making money for a year, but he is working.”

So, what is her message to the stalker?

“Just leave me, or just come forward and tell me what you want, coz I don’t know you. If I had an issue with you, I would come and confront you and even ask for forgiveness. But now this is a ghost to me. Again, I was not the direct target at first, so why did they decide to leave him and come to me. Was I that powerful?

“I never speak about my relationship anymore, but it affected us and it almost ended.”

What does the artiste say about her being affected, plus her business, which she no longer operates?

“I explained to him in one of the events I went to this year. He has told me that he is innocent and he was not part of it. In one instance, he even wanted us to pursue the cops to prove he is innocent.”

Victims of stalkers may consult general practitioners. Did she seek counselling?

“I am that person who can be there for everyone but when it comes to me, I will keep it to myself. So I had thought of going for therapy, but I remembered the doctor who told me that I needed to reduce stress. I wanted to go for counselling but no, I started doing what I like most, and that is cooking. I had nothing to do for the whole year, and I decided to be cooking as a hobby.

“None of my friends was keen to know why I was constantly in hospital, because I made sure everyone around me was fine. My therapy was crying and telling myself that everything was going to work.

“Few stood by me. I have done verification on my entire social media platforms. If I did not die from stress or being killed, it’s because of God; because I would have even ended up in drugs but God held my hand. I stopped working,  meaning those who were depending on me also stopped working,” Emmy said.