Sample chapter: Phyllis Mumbi

The thugs had promised to come back for more money. He would spend his nights in the bushes or at the homes of neighbors...

She is married, but her husband died last year after an attack by thugs.

Her husband was a very famous businessman in their village. He had a shop where he sold goods wholesale and retail, including laboratory instruments that he sold to secondary schools, which earned him enough money to care for his family. He was very much blessed, and he would sponsor children who did well in school and lacked school fees. Phyllis got married to him after she did her primary school, since her parents had no money to take her to secondary school. She lived with her husband happily and gave birth to their children, living well until her husband passed away. She told me the story of how her husband passed away, and it was a pity.

On December 8, 2008, thugs came to their home and demanded some amount of money from her husband. Her husband gave them two hundred thousand shillings, but they warned him that they would to come back for more. They beat him with metal rods and pangas and injured him seriously. They went away, and he was rushed to the hospital, where it took him one month to recover.

After recovering he went back home and continued running his business, but he could not spend the nights in his home since the thugs had promised to come back for more money. He would spend his nights in the bushes or at the homes of neighbors.

When they got to the shop she gave them the money, but they were not contented and demanded more. She tried to plead with them that she had no more money, but they turned deaf ears; instead they prepared to rape her.

Life went on like this until March 3rd of the next year, when the thugs came unexpectedly while he was caught in the house with his family. He was beaten and cut by a panga on his head, and his joints were injured in such a way that he could not walk. He bled until he was unconscious. They beat his wife, undressing her and tying her hands behind her back. They commanded her to go to the shop and get money for them. All her children had run away crying and screaming everywhere. Did their neighbors help them? They tried to help but they were not able to, for the thugs had guns. The nearest police post was three miles away; it was small anyhow, and there was no way to alert them. When they got to the shop she gave them the money, but they were not contented and demanded more. She tried to plead with them that she had no more money, but they turned deaf ears; instead they prepared to rape her. So she gave them credit cards worth thirty thousand and pleaded with them not to rape her.

Meanwhile, her husband woke up to find that his wife was missing and had been carried away by the thugs. He had to struggle to find a way to save his wife, but it was very late for him to accomplish the mission. He tried to scream, but there was nobody to help him. He made his way to his shop to help his wife. On the way he met his village chief and his son, and he pleaded with them to help rescue his wife from the hands of the thugs. They made their way on the path to his shop and started throwing stones into his shop. Unfortunately, one of the thugs realized there was insecurity, and so he jumped and ran towards the direction where the stones were coming from. The chief and his son saw the thug coming, so they ran away to save their lives, forgetting that Phyllis’s husband was seriously injured and could not run. The thug caught her husband and shot him to death. The thugs then ran away.

When the burial of her husband was over, she was left to face life on her own...

Poor Phyllis had no husband, and her children had lost their loving father.

Phyllis got sick and was admitted in the hospital, where she spent one week and was discharged. When she got home she had to organize the burial of her husband by herself. There was much to do, and when the burial of her husband was over, she was left to face life on her own. ...