Kenyan Woman Shares Harrowing Ordeal At The Hands Of Kidnappers, Thanks God For Life

• Claire Vusha walked through the proverbial valley of the shadow of death and lived to tell her story
• She was kidnapped while on her way home the day she received a Visa to work in the Gulf
• Her abductors held her hostage until 1am when they released her, a story that she says gives her jitters to this day

In a chilling recount of a night she will never forget, Claire Vusha bravely shared the traumatic experience of being kidnapped in Nairobi in 2014.

On that fateful night, Claire was abducted and held hostage until 1am, with her tormentors demanding she call friends and family to beg for money.

How was Claire kidnapped?

The gospel singer told TUKO.co.ke that she was headed home from an agency where she had received a visa to travel to a country in the Gulf for work.

According to her, it started when some people approached her like a friend would, which is how she missed out on the danger lurking in the shadows.

"l can't recall how l got myself in a strange place with insects hovering over my body. When I regained consciousness, they asked me to call people to send money," she started.

Claire soon learnt that she was in Kakoleni after the kidnappers had taken her bag, phone, clothes, and documents.

What did the kidnappers want?

She recalled trying to call everyone she thought could help, adding that the humiliation she went through is an act she will never forget.

As the night wore on, her tormentors became increasingly aggressive and ominously told her to say a final prayer.

With a knife pressed to her face, Claire thought of her late brothers and her family, silently praying for her life.

"I opened my mouth and said some words which I forgot, but the words I still remember are 'Mungu nisamehee dhambi zangu' ('God forgive my sins')," she remembered.

How did Claire escape?

In a sudden turn of events, one of the kidnappers told her to leave, a moment that she seized and fled into the night.

She ran through residential plots, crying for help, but many people, fearing it was a trap, refused to open their doors.

"Thanks to God, one person believed my story and asked the neighbours to assist. They opened their doors, and I slept, though I was really shaking. Fear was all over my body," she continued.

The following morning, Claire was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital for counselling and therapy to manage the trauma.

Claire now sings gospel in Qatar

Despite the support from a stranger, she never got the contact information of the person who saved her, but she has always wished to meet them.

Claire remains grateful that her life was spared because she was able to recollect herself, apply for another job, and relocate to Qatar.

To appreciate God for saving her life, she now sings gospel music and is grateful she found a church in Doha run by two Kenyans: Reverend Dan Mutuku and his wife, Reverend Valary Mutuku.

"I am thankful to those two spiritual parents who've made sure that we get church services in a foreign country, which is predominantly Islam," she asserted.

Why did Claire want to relocate?

In an earlier interview, Claire disclosed that her insatiable desire to relocate was born out of a need to help her family.

This was after they went through unexplainable grief after losing three brothers in close succession, the youngest aged just 11.

The heartbreak hit her parents hard, a development that made the empathetic daughter figure she needed to become their pillar of hope

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke