By Festus Justus Margai
Kathryn Favour Sesay, born on 8 May 1999 in Bo, southern Sierra Leone, is reported to have fled Sierra Leone because her life is said to be in danger and her whereabouts are still unknown.
Our investigations reveal that when she was a teenager, she started having problems with some members of her household who were accusing her of being a witch. They claimed that she was responsible for all the misfortune her parents and close relatives were experiencing.
When Kathryn was 10-year-old, we gathered that her stepfather who was working at World Vision was sacked, and he opened a small business but few months later, the business collapsed and monies mysteriously disappeared from the home. Poor Kathryn was blamed for all these misfortunes.
Close family sources informed this medium that Kathryn was taken to the Omega Fire Ministry for deliverance and she basically lived there with others accused of witchcraft. After a period, she went home to live again with her mother and stepfather.
However, after a while, people began pointing fingers at Kathryn, calling her a witch and accusing her of being responsible for the misfortunes happening around them. Her stepfather drove Kathryn and her cousin, Francis, who had also been accused of being a wizard, out of his home to go and live with their aunt.
Kathryn, however, went back to live with her mother to restart her life and graduated from Every Nation Academy and later pursued higher education at the University of Management and Technology.
In another development, it was discovered that Kathryn’s paternal grandmother, aunts and many other women in Sierra Leone are part of the Bondo Secret Society. It was gathered that her grandmother, known as Orya Bai, was the leader of the society and was recognized in Bombali District and elsewhere across Sierra Leone as the Chief Sowei.
The Bondo Society involves torture, it also engages in FGM (female genital mutilation). This involves unwanted piercing, incision and mutilation.
During the FGM process, the clitoris and labia are deliberately cut using a sharp instrument. Their practices are done through black magic and diabolical means.
This practice, according to our investigation can cause long-term health effects and infections on women who go through it. If the person carrying out the mutilation makes a mistake, this can lead to a painful death.
In 2021, Kathryn gathered that her grandmother was making preparations to initiate her into the Bondo Society for FGM and other rites to prepare her to take over from her as the next leader after her and to also train her in mastering the craft in the forest and river.
As an educated woman knowing all this, Kathryn was terrified of FGM and its horrific practices. At the same time, she was being accused of witchcraft by her relatives and neighbours of being the cause of their misfortunes.
Afraid of the terrible things she would go through in the Bondo Society if she allowed her grandmother to have her way, in addition to facing threats of danger to her life, Kathryn disappeared from sight.
Some of her close relatives believe that wherever she might be, she should be encouraged to stay in order for her to be safe.