On 31st December 2007, I was in Mathare running my chemist business when a friend informed me that all Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) supporters were being threatened with eviction and death. He warned me against staying in Mathare as there was an angry group baying for our blood, and he advised me to escape to a safer place. I decided to make my way to my home in Kariobangi South. On the way I met a group of youths who I knew well. I stopped to greet them, but they refused. I couldn’t understand why they were behaving that way and I asked them what was wrong. One of them told me not to pretend not to know.

On sensing danger, I ran very fast but they were faster than me. One of them stabbed me in the stomach and I fell to the ground in pain. The others hit me with clubs and sticks and left me to die. I later learnt that I had taken the wrong route. There was Othaya zone for Kikuyus and the Bondo zone for Luos. I had unknowingly escaped towards the “Forgiveness is Freedom” Othaya zone and found this group of youth baying for my blood. I faced the full wrath of the post-election violence. I was rushed to Kenyatta hospital in unbearable pain where the doctors stitched all the open wounds. After a few hours, which seemed like eternity, I was assessed and prepared for an operation. Metal rods were inserted to help rejoin my bones and speed up the healing.

My recovery, which was slow and painful, was made worse by the bitterness and hatred I felt towards my attackers. In hospital, I spent many sleepless hours in bed, asking questions to which I could not find the answer to. Never did I imagine that being from a different tribe from my friends would one day endanger my life. It was shocking to me when friends turned to enemies and I became a victim of tribal hatred. In hospital, many of the patients, who were also victims of the violence, shared their shocking experiences. I counted myself lucky because, unlike many others, I was recovering well after my successful operation. I left hospital with a positive Henry Owino’s story is part of the dozens shared via the Forgiveness Project (www.kenyaforgivenessproject. org).

This non-partisan, non-religious charitable organisation works at a local, national and international level, using story-telling to explore concepts of forgiveness, and to inspire people who have been hurt to consider alternatives to resentment, retaliation and revenge. mind and decided to forgive my attackers. Although I was happy with my decision, my relatives were not. They rejected me when I refused to identify the person who had stabbed me. I felt that after forgiving there was no need to follow up the case with the authorities.

Despite the fact that I still have the metal rods in my body, because I cannot afford to have them removed, today I am a happy man. Forgiveness has helped me to move on in my life and to lay aside hatred and blame. For me forgiveness is a natural act but it takes some sacrifice, it has a price. Forgiveness is freedom, it is letting go of the person who has caused your heart to bleed, even when you’ve been left soaked with blood from your wound.