Journalist Evelyn Simaloi narrates her emotional journey after learning she had HIV, how it led to her rape
Journalist Evelyn Simaloi, in a recent interview, shared her emotional journey as a person living with HIV after contracting the disease in 1999. Simaloi narrated how she got infected by her friends ex-boyfriend who she fell for but didn’t mention to her that she was infected.
Infected by her friend’s ex-lover
In the interview which was published by The Nairobian, she said that she only learnt she had HIV/AIDS after applying for a job which needed blood tests and they came back positive. She also said that both the man and her friend knew they had the disease but failed to mention to her.
Here is her story:
“A man I was living with infected me. I was introduced to him by my best friend who was dating him. I did not have anywhere to go, so she took me there to work (for him) as a house help.
“I was desperate and I needed money. A few months later, he started showing interest in me and I could not say no. Before I knew it, he had broken up with my best friend.
“She told me that I would regret it, but I dismissed it as just jealousy. In retrospect, however, I suspect she must have known about his status since their baby died two weeks after birth,” Said Simaloi.
She added:
“I had applied for a job at a restaurant and they required my health records. I was confident because I thought they were testing for pregnancy or drugs.
“Two weeks later, when the tests came back, I was told I was positive. Actually, the doctor just told me that I had aids and that I only had five years to live. Those days, medication was very expensive.
“He admitted to having infected me because he was in love with me. He claimed that he was afraid i would leave him. I left him and went to live with his cousin who introduced me to hood rats. Everyone kept hitting on me and I became angry and bitter with men.
“I would insult them and move on because i did not want to disclose my status. Unfortunately, that’s how I ended up being raped. One evening, I was very high and he offered to escort me home. On the way, he overpowered and raped me.”
