Mama Plesdent Kingston: Pastor raped, gave me Ksh200 for morning-after pill

Brenda Jons, popularly known on social media and YouTube as Mama Njeri or Mama Plesdent Kingston, has -- for the first time -- opened up about being a sexual abuse victim.

In an interview with Betty Kyallo aired on K24 TV on Friday, October 19, Jons said she was first defiled by her mother’s cousin when she was 5 years old. She was staying with her grandmother in Othaya, Nyeri at the time.

Jons says she is a child of a single parent, and her mother lived abroad a better part of her life.

“I have been a sexual abuse victim, twice, [when I was a child],” she said.

“The first time I was defiled, I was 5 years old. The perpetrator was my uncle; the cousin to my mum. He did so repeatedly. I could not report to my grandmother because he often threatened to kill me if I ever spoke about the ordeal,” Brenda Jons told Betty Kyallo on Up-Close with Betty.

“When I was 12 years old, my aunt’s husband – the brother-in-law to my mum – also defiled me. This time round, the defilement was done violently. He stuffed a pair of socks in my mouth to prevent me from screaming.

“After committing the crime, he dared me to speak out. He said no one would believe me because he was known as a highly religious person in the church circles; a praise and worship leader. This second uncle of mine defiled me once, and told me that that was what he wanted,” said Brenda Jons.

“I opened up to my family about the two ordeals two years ago (2017).

“When I told my family about the ordeals, they asked me: ‘Why did you not tell us about the incidents when they happened?’ But, I knew all through there was nothing they could have done,” said the actress.

“[Following the sexual assault ordeals], I used to hate men…

Sexually abused, again

“When I was 18 years old, I got sexually assaulted, again, by a pastor. He wasn’t a preacher in my church, but a Christian minister who spotted me [in the neighbourhood] and told me: ‘You are so talented. I think you are meant for the church’. When I went to his church one evening, the Bible studies students were leaving. He told me: ‘You do not have to go, we can talk about it [Brenda’s talent]’. Before I noticed that time had flown, it was already 12 midnight. All that while, he was telling me how gifted I was, how God would use me to reach many nations… All those kinds of things.

“Before I knew it, this guy was all over me. He, thereafter, sexually abused me. I did not even fight him. In my mind, I was like: ‘They have done this before, just do what you want and leave me alone’. I did not stop him. The following day, he gave me Ksh200 and told me: ‘Use this money to buy emergency contraceptive pills because I do not want you to conceive as that would tarnish my name. I was in First Year in college at the time,” she said.

Anti-rape crusader

“Today, I am thankful that it happened because it has allowed me to empathise and reach out to a lot of sexual violence victims. The experiences also pushed me to make a lot of mistakes. It got to a point where I vowed to avenge my pain on men because the three had taken [sexual] advantage of me.

Revenge

“When I was 19 years old, I told myself: ‘It is my turn to take advantage of them [men]’”. And, I did just that! When I was in Second Year in college, I broke many men’s hearts. I got satisfaction in seeing men hurting as a result of me heartbreaking them.

“[However], it got to a place where God was clear [to me] that He wanted me back in church. But now, I feel differently towards men. I am looking forward to being with someone,” said Brenda Jons, revealing she is single and searching.

The birth of Mama Njeri character

The creative designer by profession also revealed how she birthed the Mama Njeri/ Mama Plesdent Kingston character, which has become an instant hit with online users.

“A few months ago, I had visited my friend, who had dirty utensils in the sink. I was mad at her for being untidy. She noticed how angry I was, and told me that I can make a good actress, especially when I play the role of a mother. So, she told me to tie a head scarf, and rant at her as she records on video. When she and I shared the clip on our social media pages, it went viral,” said Brenda Jons.

The comedienne says so far, her role as Mama Njeri has enabled her to get several brand endorsement deals, which have helped her to pay her bills.