MH Reporter
As the rains continue to pound the capital, sex workers are remonstrating over the sudden change of weather.
The rains, they claim, is keeping customers off the streets, making it very difficult to do business.
“The rain is good for the farmers, but for us in this trader. Let it rain in the village, and not in Nairobi,” says Wema, a night nurse in Nairobi for over six years.
“The rains tend to keep people away from the streets, yet that’s where we get our customers. It’s been a tough two five weeks for us in the skin business,” she says.
According to Wema, the corridors have become wet and muddy for them to line up and wait for customers.
“The corridors and balconies are wet and muddy, which disgusts some customers,” she says.
Her friend Nelly has been doing door-to-door services ever since it started raining.
“I have mild asthma, and so, I cannot line on the streets in this weather. I cannot wait for the rains to stop because the streets are more lucrative,” she says, noting that home referrals are few and scattered.
Wema says that sometimes they go for a whole day without a customer in this weather.
“Anytime it starts raining, we know straight away that business is going to be bad,” she says.
Wema told Mwanahabari that she is a graduate of Sociology and Economics from one of the Universities – but had hustled for over seven years.
“I was introduced into the business by a friend after I failed to get a job, and life was beating me,” says the mother of two.
Although her friend Nelly is class eight dropout, she says her little encounter with books has not stopped her from serving people of means in the society; graduates, teachers, businessmen and a few politicians.
“I don’t like the job, but I would say it has been my greatest equalizer. Tell me, who would want to spend time with a primary school dropout,” says Nelly – a girl of striking beauty.