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Steve Muli (not his name), an openly gay man who lives in Kilimani, says there is an increasing number of young men living in the fast lane, yet they do not have day jobs.
“You have young men who on moving to Kilimani, become ‘rich’ and start driving big cars and drinking very expensive liquor in upmarket bars overnight,” he says.
But he doubts if the young men are actually gay.
“Most are after the money. Maybe they were unemployed and times are hard. This, like prostitution, can be an easy route to riches,” he says.
He emphasises that the number of foreigners in the circuit is not as high as many people believe. Most of them are wealthy Kenyan men who swing both ways.
An official who has written about and worked with top LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Transsexual and Intersexed) organisations in the country, terms these allegations as grossly exaggerated.
“That is not a question of orientation. It is a question of male sex workers. Seventy per cent of them are poor. Like their female counterparts, they live in low income areas. Only a few can break off into wealth through such activities,” the official says.
He acknowledges that there are some who are in it for the money, but again, most of them are homosexual.
According to the official, there are older people who grew up at a time when it would have been impossible to come out.
So, they had to resort to other means of satisfying their needs.
He warns that men who have sex with other men (MSM), need not be lumped together with gays or bisexuals.
He refers to researches done on HIV transmission by NASCOP (National AIDS and STI Control Programme) and other HIV/Aids related institutions.
The bigger worry MSMs is the risk of HIV infection, according to an article on the NASCOP website.
“Male sex workers constitute an especially vulnerable group. According to a survey of 425 male sex workers in Mombasa, 35 per cent were unaware that HIV could be transmitted through anal intercourse and only 21.2 per cent knew that a water-based lubricant should be used with latex condoms...” reads the report published a couple of years ago.
According to another report by the International Aids Society, bisexual behaviour is prevalent among Nairobi MSMs and may be linked to HIV transmission.
