This archive report was first published on 24 December 2019.
On a chilly night in Nairobi's CBD, a group of street urchins gathered along Duruma Road, a stretch known for its vibrant nightlife. The group, seated with their sacks beside them, chatted in whispers as they watched vehicles pass by.
As the night wore on, a woman known as Daz walked towards the group and took her position among them. She remained standing, and one by one, the group walked towards her. She produced a substance from her bra and handed it to the street urchins, who then returned to their positions.
The substance was later poured onto their hands, and they took out smaller pipes to smoke it. This, according to our fixer, was a daily occurrence on the street, regardless of the time of day.
Our fixer revealed that the police rarely conducted patrols on the street, which remained lively even at night. As we strolled down the street, another well-dressed man appeared and had a conversation with Daz. She handed him the substance, and he quickly walked away.
Nairobi News has established that Daz is among several drug peddlers operating on the streets of Nairobi, posing as commercial sex workers. Harrison, a street trolley pusher, said Daz was a common figure on the street and a friend to the urchins.
He revealed that he had seen her doing business on the street for close to three years. Another witness, Erastus, a guard at a nearby building, said he had never seen a police officer patrolling the street at night. He attributed this to the fact that many commercial sex workers used the street as a hideout to avoid arrest.
Despite the illicit activities taking place on the street, Erastus and Harrison described it as one of the safest areas in downtown Nairobi. They said that as much as police officers rarely frequented the street, it remained safe, with no reported cases of robbery.
When our team visited the stretch, commercial sex workers were busy trying to attract customers. In an interview, one of the sex workers, Keziah, said that they didn't mind where the 'action' took place, as long as they got paid. She also revealed that at times, the street urchins patronized their services.
Published on December 24, 2019 by Amina Wako of Nairobi News.
