Saturday, March 27th, 2021 will forever remain a dark day for Marion Wamboi, a single mother of three and until then a proud homeowner of a three-bedroomed house in the Njiru area in the Kasarani area of Nairobi. She was left with nowhere to call home after bulldozers from Nairobi Metropolitan Services supervised by close […]
“I want to talk about female candidates who sat for the examinations while in hospitals either after giving birth or while expecting. As I celebrate you I also want to castigate our today parents in the most severe terms possible………”These were the words of Professor George Magoha, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for education when he presented […]
BY BHESP TEAM – 2nd JUNE 2021……. International Sex Workers’ Day takes place annually on June 2nd. The day is celebratory, which remembers the discrimination of sex workers and their often exploitative living and working conditions. The starting point of the International Sex Workers’ Day as a memorial was June 2nd, 1975 in which more […]
Mercy Akinyi, a 27-year-old mother-of-three is a bartender in a Kondele bar on the outskirts of Kisumu town at the same time a sex worker. Her bartending job starts in the afternoon, leaving the whole morning to engage in her sex work. Most of her clients are those that she serves alcohol and seduce her […]
JULY 13TH 2021. BY BHESP TEAM. 38-Year-Old-Monica (not her real name) started her day normally with hope that it would be a productive day having not received any money the previous day. And so it showed all the signs as one of her regular clients called to check on her availability. Monica is sex worker […]
DECEMBER 7TH 2021. BY BHESP TEAM. BHESP, a sex worker-led organization has been at the forefront of advocating for the rights of sex workers since 1998. The organization working with other partners has witnessed different trends and development as well as challenges as it works to supports key population that are at the highest risk […]
BY BHESP TEAM, 1ST SEPTEMBER 2021…. Nairobi Deputy Governor Ann Kananu recently signed into law the Nairobi City County Public Nuisance Bill 2020 passed by the county assembly. The raft of regulations has already taken effect. Prostitution is not criminalized under national law, however, municipal by-laws prohibit it. It therefore means should County askaris arrest […]
International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8th to honor the achievements of women around the world and to promote gender equality. This year’s theme, “Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” highlights the role of technology in advancing women’s rights and promoting gender equality. In this blog post, we will explore some of the […]
Bar hostesses, also known as “club girls,” often face significant challenges when it comes to their labor rights. Many are employed as independent contractors rather than full-time employees, which can leave them without basic protections such as health insurance, paid time off, and unemployment benefits. In addition, these workers are frequently subjected to long hours, […]
Bar Hostess Empowerment and Support Programme (BHESP) is a women-led organization dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable women in Kenya. Founded in 1998 by a group of bar hostesses and sex workers, BHESP emerged to advocate for the dignity and rights of women often excluded from mainstream support systems. BHESP serves bar hostesses, sex […]