Cynthia Ogega, a 24-year-old Kenyan woman, recalls the harrowing experience of being sold off as a child bride to a Tanzanian boy, an ordeal that shaped her into a fearless advocate for women’s rights today. Her story is one of resilience, determination, and the power of reclaiming one’s life.
Born in Kisii County, Kenya, Cynthia grew up in a close-knit rural community. However, when she was just 14, her life took a tragic turn.
Her father, facing financial challenges, arranged for her to be married to a boy from Tanzania in exchange for livestock. “I remember overhearing my father say, ‘This is the only way to secure our family’s future,’” Cynthia says, her voice tinged with sorrow. “But what about my future? That question didn’t seem to matter.”
The cultural practice of child marriage, though outlawed in Kenya, persists in some communities under the guise of tradition.
For Cynthia, it meant being uprooted from her school and friends and taken to a foreign land where she was expected to begin life as a wife at an age when she should have been chasing her dreams.
Cynthia vividly remembers the day she was taken to her “future husband’s” home. “I was terrified. They dressed me in traditional attire, and I felt like a lamb being led to slaughter. I begged my father, ‘Please don’t do this to me,’ but he just looked away.”
Despite her fear and despair, Cynthia resolved to escape. Over the next few months, she secretly saved small amounts of money and plotted her getaway.
“I knew it was risky, but staying was not an option,” she says. One night, she fled, walking for miles in the dark until she reached a bus station. With the little money she had, she boarded a bus back to Kenya.
Her journey did not end there. Cynthia sought refuge at a women’s rights organization that helped her return to school and rebuild her life.
Today, she is a university graduate and works tirelessly to raise awareness about child marriage. “No girl should have to endure what I went through,” she says firmly. “We must educate our communities and empower young girls to stand up for themselves.”
By Nairobi