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The accuracy.
I went to Sacho High School which was a mixed boarding school. Bullying was forbidden by the old man himself, but it happened. Dorm Prefects were especially notorious. The worst was that most of us experienced sexual and psychological abuse.
The accuracy.
I went to Sacho High School which was a mixed boarding school. Bullying was forbidden by the old man himself, but it happened. Dorm Prefects were especially notorious. The worst was that most of us experienced sexual and psychological abuse.
Sexual abuse was in the form of chastity and pregnancy checks that included checking of hymens by medical staff
Imagine how those found to have "suspicious" privates were further traumatised and humiliated by being subjected to further "tests".
Imagine how those found to have "suspicious" privates were further traumatised and humiliated by being subjected to further "tests".
Psychological abuse was in the form of public beatings of especially girls who were perceived as "Nairobi girls" who were busy "seducing" boys. We were periodically beaten, guerrilla tactics used to intimidate us - woken up in the middle of the night for "inspection"...
...which meant the teachers coming to inspect our wardrobes and sandukus for love notes from boys. Beatings were common.
During other inspections, we girls who were suspected of having "chemical" I'm our hair had it crudely shaved off in public with blunt scissors or knives.
During other inspections, we girls who were suspected of having "chemical" I'm our hair had it crudely shaved off in public with blunt scissors or knives.
One time, at night, all "notorious" girls, ie those of us who were seen as pert and attractive to boys were yanked from bed and beaten with rods until our calves were raw. The next day we were told at morning assembly to show off our "attractive" legs to the boys.
Of course, our legs, from the back of the thigh all the way down, looked like the back of Jesus after his beating. Walking was a problem. The skirts we wore rubbed the raw legs until we were bleeding. It took weeks to heal. Weeks.
One teacher, Miss Musiga, had an intense dislike for some of us "pert" girls. I remember her abusing me personally for "showing off your hips". I had body hate for a long time because of this woman. I wished I could cut off my hips just so she could leave me alone.
And of course, everyone got love notes! We were teenagers. In a mixed school. Love notes were a rite of passage. Many times the writer just signed off "secret admirer" after the usual teen insipid "I love you from the bottom of my heart". Borrowed from old Christmas TV classics..
...like Camp Cucamonga etc. (Don't call me fossil Twitter please 😁😁).
But many of us were called prostitutes for getting damned notes from unknown people. That's trauma that has stuck till today. Only now we're called slay queens.
But many of us were called prostitutes for getting damned notes from unknown people. That's trauma that has stuck till today. Only now we're called slay queens.
The rationale was the same: we were being hardened for life. Hardened. But there's a twist here in this context. A hard one to write. Let me gather myself...
