Police looking for two rugby players accused of raping woman

A woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by a rugby player and his friend has recorded a statement at the Kilimani DCI. She has given a detailed narration of how she was raped by the player and his colleague on February 10.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) says it is treating the allegations very seriously.

Kenya Harlequin FC on April 3 released a statement saying they are aware of the sexual assault allegation levelled against their player. "A formal complaint has been lodged and the relevant authorities are investigating the matter," says a statement from the Club.

Woman went public on social media

The woman claims she conceived after the rape incident and wants the player to be charged in court.

A team of detectives visited the player’s house on Monday but did not find him. “He did not sleep in his house for two days now and if you see him let him know we need to talk to him,” said an investigator aware of the case.

The incident was made public after the victim narrated on Instagram how two men - one of them a rugby player she named - drugged her before, lured her into a house and repeatedly raped her.

She claims the incident happened on February 10, 2018 - on her birthday. She said she was unconscious and when she woke up, she found the player and his friend sexually assaulting her. She later found out she had conceived as a result of the ordeal. The woman further reveals that she tried to confront one of the men but he dismissed her and told her to look for a lawyer in case she decides to go public.

After sharing her story on Instagram, the player allegedly called her telling her to bring down the post.

“On 10th February 2018 (my birthday) I was raped by two men,” she posted.

She claimed the player and his friend took turns in raping her and had the audacity to even let her rest before resuming.

“I was slipping in and out of consciousness may be due to shock but I was helpless. I couldn’t fight two men who play rugby professionally, obviously they were stronger hence I let them do whatever they wanted to do the whole night.”

Fearful about reporting the matter to the police

The woman explained that she was afraid of reporting the ordeal to the police because she couldn’t face what happened.

“I could’ve reported the case to police but I was in denial, shock, pain and exhausted! I didn’t want to report also because of the profile of one of this rugby players,” she wrote.

“I still don’t want to report coz of the toll it had had on me…more than a month later I found out I am pregnant from the ordeal guys. Reporting a case now will not have any impact because of the way the system is set up mostly helps the rapist never the victim,” she added.

She went on: “I tried reaching out to …to take responsibility for his actions…as I don’t know his other friend and I wouldn’t know the father to this child. I even threatened him to go public but he told me to hit the road and look for a lawyer.”

She was later encouraged and asked to report the matter to police, which she did on Monday 2nd April.

Kenya Rugby Union responds

After the issue went public, the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) said it will handle the matter according to its policies.

"The Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) has been made aware of reports about alleged sexual misconduct involving a contracted Kenya Sevens player. The matter will be reviewed as soon as practicable by the KRU, in line with existing procedures for all contracted players,” said the union in a statement.

“It is also important to note that with a report having been made to law enforcement authorities, the KRU cannot comment further about the allegations pending the outcome of investigations.”

The union said it does not condone sexual harassment or any other activity that goes against the spirit of World Rugby Regulation 20 and remains committed to continued respect.