A 37-year-old Kenyan woman, Cynthia Achieng Abok, has expressed her optimism that the right man would still come along to marry her after 12 failed marriages.
Abok, a native of Kisumu, who resides in the country’s capital, Nairobi, told Citizen Digital that she started her marital struggles early in life.
According to her, she contracted her first marriage as a minor, who was deprived of love and affection.
Abok said she had a traumatic childhood and was grateful for any opportunity to be away from her deplorable living standard.
She recalled that her parents were separated when she was young. According to her, she went to live with her father after her mother remarried.
The experience was not palatable, and then she tried to live with her mum, but it was not a pleasant experience either.
With this background, she said it was very easy for her to become a victim of old sexual predators who exploited her vulnerability.
The men, who came her way, offering her security and an opportunity to further her education, were all married.
The first one married her and tucked her away in one corner of town, coming into the rented apartment he gave her occasionally to sleep with her.
She said the promised education never materialised until he had had a fill of her and abandoned her.
Abok said other men came along in similar fashions, and she trusted them to assist her and make her life better than what she had known all her life.
The one she found most painful, according to her, was a 77-year-old pastor, who fathered one of her children.
Abok said the man’s advanced age did not make any difference in the treatment she received.
According to her, it was even worse, as he physically abused her on a number of occasions.
She recalled that the relationship had more downs than ups, but she decided to stay put because of the stipends she was getting from him.
Eventually, the man’s wife found out about her and came to her flat to chase her away.
Abok now has three children with different men who are not taking any responsibility for their upkeep.
She said she had to do menial jobs to feed and clothe them, placing her under severe mental torture.
Abok said that despite her painful experiences, she was still hopeful that God would send a good person her way.
