Nairobi County Assembly on Friday December 1st passed a motion prohibiting commercial sex in the city. The motion received overwhelming support from MCAs who raised concerns about palatial homes and restaurants being been turned into brothels.
The MCAs urged Governor Mike Sonko to move with speed and effectively enforce the provisions of the law to deter prostitution in Nairobi County.
Jubilee nominated senator Millicent Omanga has however rubbished the move by Nairobi County Assembly to ban prostitution in the city.
Omanga questions the efficacy of the plan to completely curb prostitution. She says prostitutes no longer operate from the streets and brothels alone.
“The Nairobi MCAs got wrong. I have learnt of the unanimous decision by the Nairobi county MCAs to declare prostitution illegal in Nairobi county. There is more than meets the eye in this development. For starters, who is a prostitute? There are many who sell sex to their husbands back at home, how do you ban that? There are many who marry due to money influence, how do you ban that? There are high end clubs where women meet clients, how do you define such and ban it? Old men date young girls daily, is it not prostitution, how do you ban that? This idea of burying our heads in the sand and pulling our triggers towards the young girls on the streets is not only unfair but is inappropriate by all measure, Millicent Omanga wrote in part.
The senator further defends sex workers saying they come from poor neighborhoods in the city. She explains that prostitutes ply their trade simply because they have to survive.
“These girls are some of the poorest in the city. Many do not do it because they enjoy it but simply because they need to survive. A unanimous decision to ban an activity that involves a willing buyer willing seller is a matter of human rights infringement and requires serious recheck and analysis. I am of the view that all that is needed is to have an organization to champion the rights of these women and to teach them how to trade safely. The clients too must be cognizant of the fact that the ladies are human beings and require humane treatment. I strongly oppose the move and demand that these women be given audience so that a way forward is found through a proper organizational framework that works for all. #MamaMiradi” said Millicent Omanga.
