Sex trade goes a notch higher in Mlolongo

By James Wanzala

Mlolongo town, situated about 14 kilometers from Nairobi City on Nairobi-Mombasa highway is slowly catching up with Mombasa as a hub for commercial sex.

 This transit point for trucks from Mombasa to Western Kenya and the Eastern Africa countries has now become more than just a stop- over for truck drivers.

There are many clubs, bars and restaurants dotting the roadside although auto garages and hospitality industries are thriving in Mlolongo.

Many trucks are parked on both sides of the highway, some on the weigh bridge queue while the broken down ones are undergoing repairs.

Joseph Oliech, a truck driver who plies the Mombasa-Kampala route says he has spent countless nights in Mlolongo when his vehicle breaks down.

Mr Oliech says he has been pestered by sexual workers on different occasions.

 “It is not a strange thing at all for the call girls to keep knocking on the door of the truck at night demanding for sex. At times, they waylay drivers as they are out relieving themselves,” he says.

According to Mr Oliech, delay in weighing of the trucks and frequent mechanical breakdowns are the major reasons drivers spend nights at Mlolongo. Some prefer not to sleep in their trucks though.

Jackson Odinga and David Kioko, also truck drivers, say whenever night approaches, the twilight girls begin prowling the area the trucks are parked.

Harangue

 The County Weekly confirmed that prostitution is a 24 hour business. The weigh bridge also operates on 24 hour basis, making the call girls have uninterrupted business since most of their clients are truck drivers and their turn boys.

The most notorious section for the thriving commercial sex business is Madharau Street. The flesh peddlers openly ply their trade in broad daylight. Residents say the street was appropriately named Madharau, as the sex workers contemptuously flaunt their semi-naked bodies.

Whitney Akinyi, an apprentice hair dresser describes Madharau street as the base of all evil in Mlolongo, from prostitution to muggings.

It is no place for any self-respecting woman to be as she will be harangued by the sex workers, their clients and council askaris alike.

Popular bars and lodgings dotting the street have names borrowed from the Coast.

 One of the most conspicuous spot is a double storeyed building that has been rented by sex workers for their business. The lodgings start from the ground floor where a caretaker is stationed to collect Sh300 per visit.

Ruth Nduku who has worked as a bar maid in the town for six years says many of the twilight girls have travelled from as far as Kisii, Meru, Nyandarua and Western Kenya. Their ages range from early 20s to early 30s. Some are mothers.

In one of the joints along Madharau street, there appears to be symbiotic relationship between the sex workers and the bar owner.

The 38 mud walled rooms charge prostitutes Sh250 for use, both during the day and night.

So dedicated is the management to the sex trade that there is a hotline number where a dissatisfied client can call or text to complain about the quality of service.

A patron explains the number was introduced after complaints from customers who had suffered rape, had been robbed or mugged. The robberies usually occurred after the clients had been drugged. The owner himself took the decision to step into the matter and introduced to number.

The patron adds with glee that he has no problems with police as they come everyday to collect money from the counter.

The Mlolongo Officer Commanding Station (OCS), Boniface Lomuk declined to talk to The County Weekly team but referred us to the Athi River Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD).

Religious leaders

Mlolongo area chief, David Kilonzo said the problem of prostitution is rampant despite the administration’s attempt to stamp it out. He was, however opposed to mass arrests of the sex workers since past swoops have not borne anything meaningful.

 A resident, Cosmas Kisolo, 56, who is also a truck driver says arrests usually nab innocent residents and not the prostitutes.

He also claims prostitutes work in cahoots with muggers to terrorise the residents.

Timothy Kilonzo, a taxi driver and chairman of Mlolongo Taxi Operators Association has worked in the town for 11 years.

He blames the police for not cracking the whip on the practice as it happens in Nairobi’s Central Business District.

Local religious institutions have not been left out in the fight against commercial sex and its practitioners.

Rev Johnstone Jarenga of New Anointing Church explains says his church has been organising personal touch where evangelists preach to twilight women and girls about the dangers of their lifestyles.