How debt landed me in prison

They say that tragedy comes in threes, and for Cyprine Omollo, the rain poured incessantly. Back home after a short stint in jail, she is picking up her pieces and giving hope to many like her.

In 2013 found myself in a financial crisis. My husband had been diagnosed with a heart condition, and a business partner I had trusted had conned me more than Sh 300,000. Due to my husband’s medical bills, I had borrowed money from many quarters and was struggling to pay off my debts. I was drowning in debt while outwardly pretending that everything was OK. My only consolation was that I had a good job as an animal technician at an internationally recognised organisation.

One of my debtors, who had loaned me Sh 300,000, was particularly on my neck. It was the same money than I ended up losing to a con. I managed to pay him back Sh200,000 with a promise to pay the rest in instalments. We even had a written contract to this effect. But he got more and more impatient and would keep threatening to have me arrested.