"THE OPRESSION OF WOMEN IN PATRIACHAL SOCIETIES"

Mr. Leleruki is suddenly fired from his job at Agri irrigation limited where he has worked for over 15 years. Now Leleruki returns home to the village of Maa with plans to start his own business. His daughter Ntese and Kerema must leave behind life in the city and acclimatise to their new life in a rural Kenyan village. upon arriving in Maa, Mr. Leleruki and his wife Madam Sanaipei reunite with Kuntai (Mr. Leleruki’s brother), his two wives and their 13 children.

Kerema is the youngest and the dark cloud that seems to be dragging the family down. She longs to go to the university and further her studies and like older sister Ntese, she struggles to adjust to life in Maa. Ntese is a model child. She respects the authority of her parents and she is clearly favoured by them. The move to Maa is a return to Mr. Leleruki and Madam Sanaipei 's roots. It is the place where they grew up and where they first met. As such, the move creates a clash between modernity and tradition, illustrated by the village's reluctance to fully accept Ntese and Kerema who are said to be among the Intoiye Nemengalana (uncircumcised). At a home coming party, Ntese and Kerema encounter a man who harassed and threatened them on their first day in town for being uncircumcised.

Leleruki visits his former mentor, Mr. Leshao, who warns him that the man helping to finance his new business is a criminal named Ole Koitok. In an effort to help his daughters adjust to Maa, Leleruki instructs a young man named James Mollel to teach his daughters about their culture. Ntese becomes infatuated with Mollel but later discovers that as a member of her clan Mollel is considered her brother. Koitok makes an unexpected visit to Leleruki's home and meets Kerema, whom she finds ill mannered, misogynistic and creepy. After leaving her house to get away from Koitok, Kerema finds Ntese and Mollel. Mollel tells them a fable about the Maa women who began the ritual right of passage as an effort to resist the sexual violations of their conquerors.

Koitok asks Leleruki to marry Kerema, who is young enough to be his daughter. Meanwhile, Ntese professes her love to James Mollel, who reciprocates her feelings but feels conflicted about the implications and social backlash they could face from their clan. Leleruki and his wife oppose the strict traditional customs of arranged marriages and female circumcision, but are completely dependent on Ole Koitok financially and agree to the proposition. Kerema grows more discontented with her life and agrees to endure the circumstances with the understanding that Ntese will raise the issue of Rongo University to their father. However, Ntese never finds the right moment to tell her father about her sister's ambitions.

One day while walking back home from their fathers store, Kerema and Ntese are attacked by two men who harassed them on their first day in Maa. they narowly escape rape when one of their fathers handy men, Ledama, happens to see the situation and beats the men before they can assault the girls. The girls try to tell their parents what happened but resolve to tell them the next morning at breakfast. When Leleruki finds out, he gathers all the men in the village and goes in search of the attackers. They find the two men, who grovel at the feet of the elders and beg for forgiveness. The lives of the 2 men are spared; one turns out to be a distant relative which means that the penance prevented escalation and intra-tribal war.

Ole Koitok arrives at the Leleruki's home with dowry and a ring for Kerema who is unaware of her impending arranged marriage. Leleruki begins to tell Kerema, but she interrupts him and finally raises the question of university. Leleruki ignores her and says she can always study in future after she gets married. When Madam Sanaipei finally tells Kerema that she will marry Ole Koitok, Kerema confronts her father and tells Leleruki that she refuses to marry Ole Koitok. her father stops her but she runs away to a river, where Ledama finds her. he tells Kerema that her father is looking for her alongside Ole Koitok and the woman who performs the ritual of female genital mutilation. Ledama tells Kerema that he can help her escape Ole Koitok, and she agrees.
 

Ledama takes Kerema into a remote area and tries to sexually assault her. Kerema bites Ledama’s thumb and nearly cuts it off. He beats her within an inch of her life, but does not rape her. Over the next 3 weeks, Kerema is nursed back to health by an elderly medicine woman named Kapenik. Kerema pleads with Kapenik to help her escape Ledama who now plans to take her as his wife and have her undergo the ritual. In the middle of the night, Kapenik takes her to a truck and drives her to a farm for runaway girls run by a woman named Ms. Lina. After a few days, another girl is brought to the farm, who happens to be Ntese. After Kerema escaped, Leleruki had Ntese circumcised in order to marry Ole Koitok. James Mollel was murdered by Ole Koitok’s thugs after trying to help Ntese escape. When Ole Koitok and his gang arrive at the farm, they are attacked by hundreds of girls who live there and they flee. Lina gives Kerema and Ntese a scholarship to join the university. They conclude by thanking Enkai and saying that “home is never far for one who is still alive. “

story by @dahbuhkih #storiesreloaded