This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
Purity Wanjiru, a 25-year-old mother of two from Uthiru, Kiambu County, was a commercial sex worker in Nairobi until a traumatic incident in 2016 changed her life forever.
Speaking to BBC Swahili in a 2020 interview, Wanjiru recounted the night a client hired her for Ksh15, 000, promising to pay her once they arrived at his home. However, instead of driving home, the client took a route leading to Lang'ata Cemetery in Nairobi.
“He had told me that we couldn’t get intimate in a lodging facility because he wasn’t comfortable spending time in guest rooms. He, instead, asked me to accompany him to his house, and promised to give me Ksh15, 000 for my services,” Wanjiru said.
However, the client's intentions were far from innocent. While on their way to his house, he diverted and started driving into Lang'ata Cemetery. When Wanjiru expressed her anxiety, the client ordered her to shut up and accelerated, hurling unprintable insults at her.
“He was also threatening that he would kill me that night. When we stopped in the middle of the cemetery, he began beating me up mercilessly. While still in the car, he ordered me to strip naked, which I did. He, thereafter, ordered me out of his car and sped off with my clothes in his vehicle,” Wanjiru recounted.
Shocked, confused, and in fear, Wanjiru started running towards the cemetery exit. The watchmen, who were manning the cemetery, including a male Maasai person, took to their heels on seeing her. A Maasai shuka of one of the security guards fell while he was fleeing. Wanjiru used the shuka to cover herself as she tried to find her way out of the cemetery.
After that harrowing incident, Wanjiru vowed never to return to prostitution. Today, she engages in garbage collection for a living, earning between Ksh300 and Ksh400 in a day, which is just enough for her and her children.
“In a day, I make between Ksh300 and Ksh400, which is just enough for me and my children. I would rather eat a low-budget meal bought with that money, than enjoy expensive foods acquired through proceeds of prostitution,” she said.
