She was only 18 years old when she became a guest of the state.

Mildred Mwende was put behind bars after she was found guilty of manslaughter charges against her then 26-year-old husband.

“On that fateful day, my late husband left Sh 200 for me to prepare dinner, but the money was not enough for vegetables and meat. I therefore decided to prepare a simple meal of Ugali, Sukuma wiki and eggs,” she narrates.

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Little did she know of the repercussions that her simple decision would have on her life.

On arriving home, her late husband who was intoxicated was not impressed by the meal before him.

Mwende says he resulted to beating her up, forcing her to defend herself by pushing him against a wall as she sought to run to safety.

The impact with which her husband hit the wall was so great that he died on the spot.

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Being separated from her 3-month old baby was the beginning of a painful season for Mwende.

“I not only had to deal with the hardship of being in prison but also the insults from my family and my in-laws who believed I had killed my husband on purpose,” she says.

A post mortem report that revealed her husband had died from a blood clot inside the brain eased the judgment that she was facing from society both friends and family.

“After the post mortem my mother in law looked for me and sought my forgiveness. This came as a relief for me as I had started receiving death threats from my in-laws.”

After ten years serving her sentence at Nakuru GK prison, the day of her release came but little did she know that she had to grapple with stigma from her own father.

“When I told him of my release, at first my father was okay with me going back home. A day later he called and said he didn't want me to go through the integration program, but instead opted that I go through the traditional cleansing ceremony before being allowed back to his house."

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To Mwende that didn't sit well with her as she had taken up Christianity in prison and did not conform to the said cultural practices.

Months later, Mwende was able to get her life back together with the help of some friends.

She decided to use the hairdressing skills that she had learnt in prison and opened a salon.

“I eventually reconnected with my family and got my child back.”

Ms Mwende says despite being unable to reconcile with her sister, she is grateful that she was able to rebuild her life, something many ex-convicts are unable to do.

mandikizella@gmail.com

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