Hundreds of Kenyan call girls have subscribed to various sex chat sites,
which feature live webcam models streaming direct from their homes and
studios to various parts of the world, an investigation by Sunday nation shows. Modern technology has changed the face of Kenyan prostitution
with the practice moving from poorly-lit back streets to some of the
most exclusive estates in major cities.
In the coastal tourist haven of Mombasa, many
twilight girls who used to linger around night clubs and guest houses
are moving to secluded up market areas where they procure clients over
the Internet.
Instead of physically booking rooms with their
clients in lodges, the girls now use modern video transmission methods
such as Skype to reach clients the world over, for a good fee.
The sophistication of prostitution became evident
last week when police raided a five-bedroom luxury house in the posh
Nyali area of Mombasa and recovered 15 laptops, all connected to
wireless Internet (WiFi). The house also had high-speed broadband.
Local Criminal Investigations Department boss
Shadrack Juma confirmed numerous computer devices and transmitters were
confiscated from the house where 11 women and a Swiss national,
Christopher Clement Weissenrieder, were arrested in a case involving
bestiality with a dog.
Mr Juma said the equipment was being used
to transmit pornographic videos to a number of sharing websites, adding
that they had been dispatched to CID headquarters in the capital Nairobi
for further analysis.
Online shows
"We expect the experts in Nairobi will retrieve
vital information, which will help us as evidence in our case since we
have charged them with various offences relating to pornography contrary
to the Sexual Offences Act," said Mr Juma.
Investigations by the Sunday Nation revealed
that women engaging in this type of prostitution are paid according to
the amount of money received from their pen pals from various European
countries where most of their clients reside.
The main business revolves around taking nude
photos and pornographic videos and sending them to consumers in those
countries online. The paper also established that hundreds of Kenyan
girls have subscribed to various sex chat sites, which feature live
webcam models streaming direct from their homes and studios to various
parts of the world.
The chats stream live sex shows online where whoever wishes to watch pays using various modes of money transfer.
One 25-year-old woman who lives in a luxury villa
where the trade is carried out said the house that was raided was just
one of dozens in Nyali estate, as well as a number of cottages in the
popular areas of Mtwapa, Malindi and South Coast where the practice is
common.
There is privacy
"I am shocked that people regard the Nyali case as
unique. There are many private homes and cottages where such business
is going on,” she said, adding that rent for such houses, some of which
are leased by foreigners, ranges between Sh150,000 ($1,800) and
Sh200,000 ($2,400) a month.
She added: "We feel this is a safe way of earning
our living since most of our clients are abroad, and only view
performances online. Unlike street prostitution where you might be
identified by one of your family members or your friends, here you are
secluded and there is privacy."
"Most of these homes are owned by foreigners and
rich business people while some of the girls are drawn from colleges.
The majority are from the streets where they had been practising
prostitution,” the woman, who did not want to be identified saying it
would compromise on her personal security, said.
The Sunday Nation also learnt that the trade is rife in other towns at the Coast including Kilifi and Malindi.
The government has said areas complicit in the
trade would be shut down and operators prosecuted, including those who
operate brothels in their residential homes.
Courtesy Sunday nation and Africa Review Magazine.
Courtesy Sunday nation and Africa Review Magazine.
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