Reporter
As a condition for telling her story – she asked that we keep her identity secret.
“I don’t want my friends and relatives condemning,” she says with a guarded smile. Let’s call her Emily.
Emily is 22 years old – and pregnant. She is a school drop out.
“I am five months pregnant at the moment, and I have every intention of carrying this pregnancy to full term,” she says as if anticipating a question on why she has not thought about abortion – like most girls her age.
The kind of woman they are looking
Emily works a prostitute in one of the estates in Nairobi, Eastlands area to be precise. Emily is very beautiful – something she says attracts men to her like magnet.
“I know the father of my child, but he is broke, with no job. I don’t live with him, I live alone, in a bed-sitter,” she says.
Emily, who does not peddle her flesh on the streets, says she got into prostitution because of tough economic times.
“There are men who have a fetish for pregnant women. That is the kind of woman they are looking for, a pregnant woman,” she says.
A close friend introduced me
Emily says she was introduced into the business by a close friend.
“I remember visiting this friend of nine to ask for a small loan a few ago. She threw one quick look at my belly and smiled. She already knew I was pregnant. She gave me Sh1,500 loan. As I was about to leave, she asked if I was interested in a small gig that paid well. I said yes, provided it was legal,” she says.
That is how Emily was recruited into the business. She was two months pregnant at the time.
“At first I was afraid, but she assured me that all would be well,” says Emily.
Seven pregnant girls
“I got comfortable after learning that my friend had a pool of seven pregnant girls she managed,” she says.
“This is not something I would want to do for a long time. I just want to save some money then jump out forever once the baby is born,” says Emily adding that the father of her child has no idea she sells her flesh.
In the past, whenever a prostitute got pregnant, there would be no business for several months until they delivered.
Not anymore
Reports indicate that while most often resort to the more specialised door-to-door services once they are paged – there are those who don’t mind lining the streets and bars even with their bellies full.
“Most men like pregnant women because they produce a lot of warmth,” says Emily who intends to take a break when she hits seven months.
“I don’t want to hurt my baby. You know, infections and stuff like that can hurt the health of my child,” she says.