This archive report was first published on 18 November 2019.
Kisumu's Dark Secret: Child Prostitution Thrives in the City ¶
Published on November 18, 2019
Deep in the heart of Kisumu's Kondele slums, a dark secret has been thriving for years. Child prostitution has become a rampant issue, with many underage girls being exploited by adult sex workers and hoteliers.
At around 10pm, 15-year-old Josephine (not her real name) is negotiating with her second client in a dark alley. She is a commercial sex worker, having been introduced to the illicit trade by her cousin two years ago.
Residents of Kondele say the area has become synonymous with prostitution. Some girls, including Josephine, have dropped out of school to engage in the trade, while others still in school do it during holidays.
When The Standard caught up with Josephine, she had been negotiating with a man who appeared to be in his 40s. However, they failed to strike a deal, and the man left. The girl took her spot again, hoping to nab the next client.
She charges between Sh300 and Sh500 and quickly leads clients to nearby lodgings. Josephine narrates the pain she has endured since joining prostitution, saying, 'It has not been easy. Sometimes, I charge as low as Sh50, especially on weekdays when clients are fewer.'
Josephine, an orphan, dropped out of school last year due to lack of fees. She was in Form One. But she is not the only underage girl engaging in prostitution. An exploitation ring, run by business people, hoteliers, and adult sex workers, is taking advantage of the girls.
According to sources, the ring hooks the girls up with clients and earns commissions in return. Adult prostitutes have taken this route after it emerged that men are increasingly preferring young girls.
Some of the girls have been introduced to an organisation that champions for the rights of commercial sex workers in the area. However, at times, sexual exploitation of underage girls happens under the nose of the police.
A 17-year-old girl from Nyalenda slums says she is in a group of five girls who work under an adult prostitute. The woman takes commissions for linking them to clients and organising rooms for them.
'We are forced to use alcohol, cigarettes, and bhang just to drug ourselves as we engage in this no-so-good business,' the girl says.
Interviews with hotel workers and boda boda riders revealed that many men are increasingly going for underage girls, which has not gone down well with the adult prostitutes who have become hostile to the minors.
A hotel owner said most of his clients are sex workers, and men are always walking in with young girls. Some of the men would ask them to find them young girls.
Staff from top hotels in the region are also in the game, with some visitors asking them to get them girls, specifically in the 17-18 age bracket.
Joshua Ouko, a boda boda rider, says he has witnessed elderly men pick up young girls. 'I ferry them and notice they end up in lodgings and estates around Kisumu. There is a high number of girls engaging in prostitution here. As a parent, I am hurt but there is nothing much I can do,' he says.
Our attempts to get a comment from Kisumu Sex Workers Association were futile despite several visits to their offices. However, a woman who claimed to be a prostitute and a member of the association said they do not see child prostitution as a problem.
She said most of them were pushed into the business by poverty but claimed 'sex tourism' has offered them a lifeline.
Nyanza regional police commander Vincent Makhoka said they are aware of the vice taking root in the region and are working with various government and non-governmental agencies to tackle it.
'We are tracking down those introducing minors to prostitution. Recently, we arrested three people in connection with child prostitution. They have already been charged in court. We are treating the cases as defilement. We have also enhanced our patrols,' he says.
Mr Humphrey Wandeo, the director of the children's department in Kisumu, said some children end up in prostitution after being neglected by parents.
'Parents should take the leading role in monitoring their children. We are also working with various organisations to rescue children from the streets,' he said.
