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 someone for engaging in "prostitution", the offender will be arrested and charged in court and if found guilty, will be jailed for 6 months or fined Ksh 10000.
BY BHESP TEAM, 27TH JULY 2021 – (……. Below is an excerpt is taken from an interview with a sex worker who operates in an upmarket brothel in Nairobi. She tries to demystify some myths that are associated with sex work, not only in Kenya but almost everywhere globally……...)
I've been working in a Nairobi brothel for almost a year and a half now. In this time, I've learned a lot about sexuality, psychology, and relationships. My job is a mix of customer service and fantasy fulfillment, and I love it. It suits my needs and allows me financial stability I never had access to before. However, what I've noticed since starting this career is that there is a lot that the general public doesn't seem to get about sex work. Here are some of the biggest misconceptions.
Picture of Monica (not her real name) showing the eye injury while admitted at the Mama Lucy Hospital
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 based in Kayole in Nairobi. Depending on her clients’ preference, she either invites them to her single roomed house or goes to the clients preferred location which could be a lodging or in some rare cases the clients house.
Sunday 27th June 2021, a client named Nahashon Adeya calls Monica and asks for a convenient time to show up, they strike a deal and Samuel makes his way to Monica’s house.
On arrival, Nahashon makes a different demand and now wants to go out with Monica to a different location. Monica is now confused and refuses to comply with the surprise turn of event because she is also expecting other clients after finishing with Nahashon. He walks out disappointed and Monica thinks Nahashon is gone for the day and hopes the other clients she is expecting will not disappoint her.
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 during their drinking hours - she directs them to her one-bedroomed house a few meters from the bar to show up when she is not working.
On a good morning, she makes approximately Ksh 3,000 if she is lucky to get three clients before going to her regular job. Her salary at the bar is a paltry Ksh 10,000. She says she has been on this same routine since she was 16 years of age.
SEX WORKERS REAL STRUGGLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC
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 than 100 sex workers occupied the Church Saint-Nizier in Lyon in order to get attention to their situation.
In many places in Africa, sex for money is readily available, cheap, risky, and often illegal. For many sex workers, work is often dangerous.
The Kenyan coastal strip is normally a beehive of tourism activities. Local and international holidaymakers find their way to Mombasa, Malindi plus other towns in the area that shores the Indian ocean, popular for sandy beaches. Bars and nightclubs line up here; many European and American tourists stroll through the coastal metropolis in regular times. Sex workers also earn their money here.
One of them is Hawa (name changed). Like many other young women, she has been working as a sex worker for several years. "If I don't engage in sex work, I will have no money to pay my bills, buy clothes and lead a good life," Hawa told BHESP.
Mirema Stone Groove
