The woman who escaped an attempted forced marriage expressed frustration with the community for failing to protect her.
A university graduate is nursing physical and psychological injuries after being abducted and dragged to a homestead in a suspected case of attempted forced marriage in Kilgoris, Narok County.
Juliet – not her real name – was at home with her mother and siblings when a relative arrived unannounced late at night.
She says the visit seemed suspicious but the family didn’t think much of it – until a group of young men stormed the compound, lured her out of the kitchen and dragged her nearly four kilometers to the home of a man she barely knew.
The woman recounted the harrowing ordeal in an interview with the Daily Nation after her rescue.
“I had only met the man once at a public function, but we didn’t even speak. I didn’t know his name or where he lived,” she said.
She described how the men covered her mouth with a cloth to silence her screams and forcibly dragged her from the compound.
“I fought back, but it was of no use. They dragged me across rough ground, injuring my back, shoulders and hands,” she said, breaking down in tears.
When they reached the man’s homestead, Juliet says she immediately recognised the man – but only as someone she had seen once before.
“It was terrifying. But unfortunately, it wasn’t entirely surprising, given the outdated traditions that still exist in my Maasai community,” she said.
Juliet refused to eat, drink, or enter the man’s house.
Since her phone had been confiscated by her captors, she convinced the man to give her his phone under the pretense of contacting a friend.
Failing to protect her
She quickly texted family members and friends whose numbers she remembered, alerting them of her whereabouts.
Her message set off a rapid response from local administrators, women’s rights activists and relatives who launched a rescue operation.
Realising she had called for help, the abductors moved her to another homestead the next morning.
“I asked a woman in the new home for a phone and contacted my siblings again, telling them where I was,” she recounted.
Juliet was eventually rescued and is now under the care of an elderly woman who has taken her in.
Speaking from the woman’s homestead, Juliet expressed frustration with the community for failing to protect her.
“It’s heartbreaking that my parents supported me through school all the way to university, only for me to be ambushed and almost forced into marriage by strangers, as the community watched silently,” she lamented.
Sources told the Daily Nation that local elders are attempting to suppress the case, even though the perpetrators are known. As of now, no arrests have been made.
The matter is under police investigation and was reported at a local station under OB number 06/09/07/2025.
“We have taken statements from the victim and witnesses. The file will be forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for action,” said a senior police officer in Narok, who requested anonymity.
He added that such cases are on the rise in the region, despite previous crackdowns by the government.
Dangerous cultural practices
Juliet was treated at a local health facility for soft tissue injuries and is now receiving psychosocial support.
“She was in deep psychological distress when she came in. We treated her and referred her for counseling. Her wounds are healing well,” said a clinical officer.
Dr Kakenya Ntaiya, founder and CEO of Kenya’s Dream – a Non-Governmental Organisation that advocates for girls’ and women’s rights – condemned the incident, calling it an example of dangerous cultural practices still entrenched in some communities.
“It is horrifying that in this day and age, a university graduate can be abducted in an attempt to force her into marriage. Our society must abandon backward practices such as female genital mutilation, early and forced marriages,” she said.
Dr Ntaiya criticised community members and local administrators who allegedly aid in covering up such incidents, thereby denying the survivors justice.
“It would have made much more sense if, out of respect for the girl, someone had approached her family to formally seek her hand in marriage, rather than using brute force and violating her rights,” Dr Ntaiya said.
