Scandal of crooked condom millionaires

By BONIFACE GIKANDI

Merchants of death are minting millions of shillings by stealing government-issue condoms and smuggling them out of the country.

The condoms, which are distributed free by the government to help in the fight against HIV/Aids, are being sold in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In the past three years, the crooked merchants have been using a network of underlings to empty condom dispensers stocked by the government — exposing millions of people to the deadly HIV virus.

According to our investigations, the condoms racket involves public health officials and crafty businessmen.

The merchants smuggle the condoms to the DRC through Uganda.

In the course of our investigations, a Kenyan working in DRC brought back home condoms whose origin was Kenyan government stores.

“The business is lucrative in DRC where condoms originating from Kenya are greatly valued. A carton contains 7,000 pieces of condoms,” said the source.

One of the merchants, only identified as John, is said to be the kingpin of a gang that empties condoms from dispensers in public facilities.

High quality

The crooks repackage the condoms in branded packages that are then sold as if they had been privately manufactured.

Some cartels pack condoms bearing government label in packets of fast moving brands that are collected from dustbins outside major lodging facilities.

To ensure there are enough empty packets, street boys are engaged to collect ‘clean’ condom containers.

The packets of popular brands are preferred to give the impression the condoms are of high quality and imported.

Street boys are assigned to keep watch over garbage heaps near boarding and lodgings in major towns and are paid Sh5 for each clean packet.

Peter Mwangi, a street boy in Thika, says on a good day, he collects more than 50 packets of condoms from refuse bins.

Great demand

“A packet of condom to me is as good as gold as there are people ready to buy them for purposes I don’t know. I’m only interested in the money I get for the packets,” said the street boy.

According to our sources, DRC is a popular destination where a carton containing 7,000 pieces is sold at between US $60 and US $150 (between Sh4,950 and Sh12,450).

The County Weekly has learnt that between 100 and 120 million condoms are used in Kenya annually.

The National Aids and Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Council (Nascop) says condoms are in great demand in Kenya.

A Nascop official, Peter Cherutich, said, “We expend about 100 million condoms every year and we have support from several partners including World Bank, UNFPA, PEPFAR and the government.”

Dr Cherutich added, “A condom costs about Sh2.50 per piece and of the total condom budget, about 10 per cent is used for distribution.”

He however explained that Nascop has not received any reports of grand theft of condoms adding, “We have sufficient stocks to handle any crisis.”

A survey by The County Weekly in various parts of Kenya however revealed that condom dispensers installed by the Health ministry at social and public places a decade ago have been vandalised and are empty.

Government employees

 We have established that the Department of Public Health distributes an average of 10,000 condoms a month to various outlets but only a few get into the dispensing kits.

One of the organisations involved in the anti-Aids campaign, the National Organisation of Peer Educators (NOPE), told The County Weekly that last year alone, it distributed more than 700,000 condoms in different parts of the country.

In Laikipia district, we learnt that some employees at government health facilities have been colluding with watchmen guarding lodgings to secretly sell the condoms to desperate lodgers.

In Nanyuki town, it emerged that officers entrusted to keep watch over dispensers pilfer condoms and sell them in the black market.

The dispensing kits were fixed in places of work in an effort to mainstream HIV/Aids and curb spread of the killer scourge.

In Kitale town and the surrounding areas, the sale of condoms sourced from government stores is done openly.

Empty dispensers

At one outlet, we bought a packet at Sh100 with a warning not to disclose the illicit trade after one of the attendants became suspicious.

In Murang’a and Embu towns, the watchmen guarding lodgings are the main conduits as they are in charge of the condom dispensers. They sell three packets to lodgers at Sh50.

With the dispensers empty, a group of women has started distributing condoms after realising how difficult it has become to get one.

Mary Kagendo has been distributing condoms free of charge as a hobby after realising the danger to sexually active youths posed by unavailability of condoms.

In Kiambu town, commercial sex workers have taken over the distribution of condoms after realising those charged with replenishing the dispensers were not doing so.

Kiambu District Aids Control Coordinator Muli Kamande said the commercial sex workers have embarked on a campaign to ensure they have an adequate supply of condoms.

“It’s a strategy to ensure the condoms from the Government are accessible to all who need them instead of engaging in unsafe sex,” said Mr Kamande.

Hostile watchman

The situation is the same in Nairobi where cartels are behind the sale of the commodity in bars, lodgings and ‘guesthouses’ in some of the city estates.

In Kikuyu town, we found that watchmen complement the renting out lodging rooms with selling condoms at Sh50 per piece.

A hostile watchman we caught red handed selling condoms in River Road, Nairobi denied knowledge of theft, arguing that his work involved ensuring security and privacy around the rooms.

A Kiambu-based anti HIV/Aids crusader, Ephantus Wamae cited poor monitoring of the supply chain of condoms after key stakeholders were locked out.

Mr Wamae attributed diversion of condoms from the intended use to failure by the Government to involve community leaders.

“Since the Government failed to involve community leaders as it was doing in 2000, thieves have been stealing these condoms,” said Mr Wamae.

In Murang’a, public health officer Alex Karanja says distribution is monitored by a surveillance team to ensure all the outlets offer the commodity free to clients.

“Each of the facility receiving the condoms from the store must ensure they are displayed in the dispensing kits that are accessible to all and located in a strategic position,” said the Municipal public health officer.