Prelude
This harrowing but timeless story, narrated by Joyce Umbima, is that of Muhonja (not her real name), a young girl forced into sex work. Though written in 1994, the story tragically remains reflective of the ongoing exploitation of countless girls in Kenya.
Muhonja’s story is one of four cases spotlighted in Sheila Wamahiu's landmark 1994 study on the situation of the female child in Kenya. Funded by UNICEF Kenya, the study was a product of a project coordinated by Joyce Umbima, then the Executive Director of the Kenya Alliance for the Advancement of Children (KAACR). In this capacity, Joyce also led the Girl-Child thematic area and coordinated African NGO inputs into the Beijing Conference in 1995. Though currently in semi-retirement, Joyce remains a passionate advocate for children’s rights.
This story is being republished by Jaslika with consent from the author, Joyce Umbima as part of our contribution to public knowledge, under the theme: “So what has changed?”
Synopsis
A recent survey done by the Undugu Society of Kenya reveals that a good number of girls who stream into Nairobi to work as maids end up as prostitutes on the streets whether voluntarily, by persuasion or by coercion. The story below is the true story of Muhonja (not her own name) as told to us by herself. She wants the whole world to share her love and laughter, and suffer her hate and tribulations. The story illustrates how even well-intentioned parents may unwittingly pave the way for the sexual and economic exploitation of their young daughters by sending them to work as poorly paid, overworked maids in the city of dazzling lights, Nairobi.
The Story
Muhonja, is a young girl whom we met at Modern Green Boarding and Lodging in Nairobi. Muhonja had full make-up on her face and posed like an adult; yet, in a lot of ways, she looked so vulnerable and frail, in desperate need of motherly love and care. Her dual personality drew us to her.
Muhonja comes from Kakamega District and is the firstborn in a family of six, three boys and three girls. She dropped out of school at the age of ten. Or more accurately, she was forced to leave school by her parents who sent her to Nairobi to work as a maid.
Muhonja's father, who worked as a domestic servant for an expatriate in Nairobi, found her a good family to work for. He directly negotiated with his daughter's prospective employer. It was agreed that the salary would be handed over to him at the end of each month. He, in turn, would give Muhonja some pocket money. This was the best way, he reasoned, to ensure that his daughter was not spoilt by too much money.
For one year, Muhonja obeyed her father's instructions and never questioned him. But then the change came! Muhonja's employer was transferred to Mombasa. Muhonja's father refused to let her accompany her employer, though she wanted to go. He probably did not want her to go so far away from home. So, as a concerned father, he found her another employer in Buru Buru, Nairobi. Again, like in her first employment, he made arrangements for his daughter's salary to be paid to him directly.
Muhonja's new employers were more liberal than the last one. They allowed her one day off per week. This gave Muhonja the opportunity to meet other maids and talk to them. Many of the girls were well dressed and often boasted of how they used their salaries and gave their parents only as much as they wished to. Muhonja confided her life story to her newfound friends, who advised her to change employers without informing her father, and thereby, regaining her freedom. They sympathised with her predicament and offered to look for an alternative employer for her.
In less than three months, her colleagues had found her a new employer. She was told that her new job would be in Muthaiga, one of Nairobi's posh areas and that she would be paid Ksh. 600.00 a month. The prospect of embarking on a new path of independence from her father excited the little girl. Full of hope for a bright future, Muhonja did not foresee that she was being recruited to work as a child prostitute in one of Nairobi's many brothels.
The following Sunday, Muhonja packed her belongings and vanished from her Buru Buru employer without any notice or trace. She was escorted to town by one of the maids who handed her over to somebody she called " aunty". "Aunty" in turn took her to Muthaiga to somebody she addressed as "mummy". "Mummy" was a middle-aged, motherly woman with an infectious laugh. Muhonja liked her immediately.
As soon as Muhonja arrived at "mummy's" house, she was shown a bedroom and a bath. She was asked to bathe and dress up in readiness to move on to her new employers. For a minute, Muhonja could not believe her ears. She had assumed that this kind woman was her new employer. The thought of moving on certainly did not please her. She wanted to run away and return to Buru Buru, but she could not remember her directions back. Thus, she had no option but to obey. After bathing and dressing up, she sat on her bed, waiting to be called,
Muhonja remembers that she waited and waited until she fell asleep. At around 3 a.m. she was woken up from her slumber. Though she was tired and sleepy, she was told that she would be leaving for her new employer's place at that moment.
"Mummy", who was the only link with her friends, did not accompany her. She was shoved inside an old and dirty car. In addition to the driver, there were two men who sat with her in the back. They drove for what appeared to be hours until she could no longer tell where she was coming from or going to. Muhonja forced herself to remain awake in the hope that she would recognise some familiar landmarks, but to no avail. She could not jump out from the car because she was not allowed to sit next to the window seat.
At last, the car came to a stop in front of a cramped-looking house. It was not at all like "mummy's" house. It had rows and rows of rooms with small windows. The smell of urine was all over the place!
In this new house, as discovered by Muhonja later, there were many other young girls who sat in various rooms and seemed to be idle most of the time. She noticed that there was a constant flow of visitors into those rooms both day and night. How Muhonja wished that she could talk to the girls, but none ventured into her room. She was lonely and terrified.
After about a week, someone who behaved like a doctor visited her. He took her blood, examined her, and gave her some medication. It was explained to her that the doctor was testing her to see whether she could start working.
Another three days went by, and to her surprise, she had not been assigned any duties. This was quite a change from her experience with her two previous employers. She could not understand what was happening to her. Muhonja just lay in bed most of the time with tears flowing down her face. She wept and wished her father would come for her. She vowed she would never disobey him again!
After a week of silence and agony, Muhonja received a note from Luhya advising her to learn to be obedient, learn to enjoy her new job and do it well lest she lose her life. She wanted to shout out loud to the anonymous letter-writer that " sleeping is not work" but she did not know who had written the note.
That night, Muhonja was visited by two men. One of the men left, while the other raped her the whole night. During her struggle to defend herself, she broke a chair, a glass and a window. At daybreak, the man disappeared, but not before locking her in the room. In about an hour's time, a fat man opened the door and asked her why she had shouted the whole night and kept everybody awake. She was asked why she had broken the glass, window and chair. She was warned she would have to pay heavily for the damages. Muhonja tried to explain, but the man would have none of it. "You must be taught a lesson", he yelled. Later that night, five men raped her in turns. She was bruised and bleeding. She felt dirty and wished she would die.
After two days of excruciating pain, a doctor-like -person visited her with the fat man. A few tablets were given to her and she was told to take them or else she would be in worse trouble. The "doctor" warned the fat man too, telling him to be careful with the "young chicks or he would find himself in real trouble one of these days.
An old woman visited Muhonja soon after the "doctor" left. On seeing her, Muhonja's hopes soared; the woman looked motherly, surely she would help her to escape from this living hell? But to Muhonja's disappointment, the woman talked about nothing but sex and money. She advised her on how to treat her wounds and forced her to bathe and take her medicine. The woman informed her that she was now a prostitute and that she should learn to enjoy and do her job well. Muhonja's cries and protestations fell on deaf ears; the woman left her all alone to wallow in her misery.
The next three days the woman visited her regularly, making sure that she bathed and took the prescribed medication. She was also forced to eat. After some time, she was allowed another visitor---this time, another child prostitute. Later, Muhonja learnt that this was the same girl who had written to her earlier. The two girls soon became good friends.
Muhonja's friend taught her that sex was money, and money was love, clothes, perfume, lipsticks and a glamorous life. The girl taught Muhonja all about sex and introduced her to alcohol and drugs that enabled her to enjoy sex with several men in one day. Before long, Muhonja, like her friend, had become addicted to alcohol.
Today, at the tender age of 14, Muhonja is a child prostitute, one of many in Nairobi, the city of the dazzling lights. Among her qualifications are the numerous important men she has bedded with to earn herself a living!