How sex workers 'dignified' their business to end killings

In 2010, Philip Onyancha confessed to the court that he killed up to 19 people, mainly commercial sex workers and drank their blood in a span of a year.

Five years later, a wave of mysterious killings hit sex workers in Nakuru, with reports suggesting that at least 10 sex workers were killed between October and December 2015.

One such victim was a 23-year-old identified as Esther, whose decomposing body was discovered inside her house. Esther operated along Kanu Street in Nakuru County.
Esther's head was disfigured with a medical report stating that she had been hit with a blunt object. She also had stab wounds on other parts of her body.

The incident triggered the systematic disappearance and killings of prostitutes in Nakuru. Women's private parts were being chopped, heads dismembered and others were stabbed to death.

This prompted MPs in Nakuru, to propose legalizing of prostitution, arguing that sex workers have a right to operate in a conducive environment.

Speaking to the Nairobian, one of the sex workers' officials who sought anonymity said the killings shook all sex workers who went into hiding, instead of seeking help.

"When we reported incidents of killings and violence, police never took us seriously. They asked difficult questions that we could not answer because we feared being stigmatized for our work," she said.

The lady said when the killings and violence persisted, they decided to unite as a team and demonstrated in Nakuru, to cry for their rights, leading to arrests of some perpetrators.

She noted that the demonstrations were not enough and they decided to seek help from organizations, to sensitize sex workers on how to operate safely in town.

"We were given safety tips including how to communicate with each other whenever we get clients, to ensure someone is watching us," she said.

She said they also sought help from the health service provider, to ensure women who get injured or infected with Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs), get medical care.

"The process took long and it was a big fight between us, the community, the police and health service team as stigma was still there," she said.

Banding together

According to the official, the sex workers team who were then about 400 in the city and 18,000 in the county decided to hold meetings to discuss the reason for the stigma.

She said they realized that the public viewed their job as undignified, dirty, obscene and immoral and it was time to clean their house, before they seek help elsewhere.

To clean their tarnished reputation, the officials said that the sex workers first changed their name to Smart Ladies. They then set up an office in Nakuru, to address Gender Based Violence by advocating for women's rights.

"When the office started running, clients started reporting incidents of crimes done by smart ladies, including theft. From that we knew where the problem was," she said.

As years passed, Smart Ladies built a good relationship with clients, police, health service providers and the county government, she said.

She said that a team from the health department has also been trained on how to specifically deal with issues affecting the Smart Ladies.

"The office has helped us sensitize our members, distribute condoms to keep them safe, offer advice to those infected with STIs on how to go about it and give family planning tips," she said.

The members also sponsored 40 to undergo paralegal training, to help defend themselves in court. The same, according to the official, was embraced by the Kenya Red Cross who decided to sponsor training for three Smart Ladies.

She added that the Kenya Sex Workers Alliance, also stepped up to support the Nakuru team, by engaging them in sensitization programmes that help uneducated ones understand their rights.

"Although there are no new reports since 2017, there are over 1,000 smart ladies in Nakuru City alone and over 25,000 in the county," she said.

Dignified

Smart Ladies chair Daisy Achieng wants the women in the business to be identified as a family unit. She said they had done enough to ensure their business are dignified.

"We are voters too and have rights. The government should protect rights against us, our lesbian sisters and gay brothers among other vulnerable and controversial groups," said Achieng.

Achieng said smart ladies have children who need bursaries, and sub-counties and wards should use their officers to give their children bursaries.

She added that during hard times and when businesses are down, they should be considered for Kazi kwa Vijana and other jobs to provide for their families.

"Stigma is no longer there in the community, we keep our business clean and live in good houses to ensure it does not affect our children and friends," she said.

According to Achieng, smart ladies no longer abandon their children and ensure they get good education, health and home.

"We even advise lodgings to have CCTV cameras and we have taken data and placed contacts in every area our members live, to ensure our business is free of crime," she said.