In December 2017, Beatrice Mwika Mwikali, a sex worker in Nairobi, made Sh80,000 in 23 days. That was a few weeks before his hot spot, Simmers, was suddenly demolished.
Today, the 31-year-old mother of three along with 200 other sex workers in Nairobi are ‘counting serious losses’. The sex workers traditionally operated around Simmers in the heart of the city centre, until it was demolished on March 3, 2018
It is almost 50 days now since the popular club along Kenyatta Avenue wound up following a court tussle that saw it go down as patrons watched in shock.
The Nairobian has now been told that sex work has gone down — and it is estimated that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of shillings, have been lost during that period.
“Since the club was demolished, business has become tricky for us. On Fridays alone, I used to pocket up to Sh10,000, ” Monica Kerubo, one of the sex workers who has since moved to a popular club along Kimathi Street told The Nairobian.
Peninah Mwangi, the executive director of Bar Hostess Empowerment and Support Programme (BHESP) told The Nairobian that, “The loss is around Sh1.5 million per day for an average of 200 girls per day who frequented Simmers. The girls used to earn their living from entertaining tourists.”
Peninah said some of the girls have moved to other joints.
