Factors that Drive Men to Rape A Study of Convicted Male Rapists at Kamiti Maximum Prison of Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Rape is a worldwide problem with existing literature documenting its incidents in the Ancient Greece, the middle ages, and modern civilizations. Today, many African women (including Kenyan women) suffer rape like other women around the world and over the ages. The purpose of the current study was to explore factors that drive men to rape women in Kenya. It used a blend of the Johari Window Model and George Engel's Biopsychosocial Model, which attributes abnormal behavior to biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors. The study was carried out at Kamiti Maximum Prison and employed both exploratory and qualitative research designs. It used convenient sampling method to recruit 39 respondents. In terms of data collection, semi structured interviews, semi-structured observation schedules and structured questionnaires were used. The study found that sex offenders were influenced by an array of biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors. Biologically, sex offenders were found to be genetically predisposed to defile, to abuse multiple drugs and other substances, and were stressed. Psychologically, sex offenders had mild cognitive disorders, mood disorders (both unipolar and bipolar types), sexual disorders (pedophilia and sexual sadism), and impulse control disorder. In terms of personality, sex offenders presented Antisocial Personality (AP), Borderline Personality (BP), and Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). While socio-culturally, defilers tended to come from families that characterized abnormal family structures and functions, poverty, and lack of strong faith and commitment to a divine being were some of the characteristics. Sex offenders were also found to have a low level of education, and they strongly held to cultural values that uphold male dominance over women.