Meru clergy turn to prayers to ward off prostitutes pursuing miraa money

Clergymen and officials of an NGO in Meru have turned to prayers to ward off prostitutes and manufacturers of illicit brews who have invaded KK market in the county.

Scantily dressed women have stormed the market in pursuit of miraa traders who are known to make huge amounts of money from their businesses.

The resolve to turn to prayers comes barely a month after a man was found dead in one of the lodgings in the shopping centre.

The man, who is said to have sold miraa worth Sh100,000 and went on a drinking spree accompanied by a prostitute, was later found dead in the room with his private parts chopped off.

Various churches have also been holding open air crusades to pray against the increased sale of chang'aa in the area.

GIRLS DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL

Pastor George Kimathi of the Redeemed Gospel Church said the situation has made children to drop out of school.

Pastor Kimathi said the young girls loitering in the market should be in school.

"If possible, their parents should be held responsible for neglecting their children and leaving them to loiter in towns with the motive of indulging in commercial sex," he said.

Mr Erastus Nkunja, the patron of Giving Back to Society Group, blamed the town’s woes on a leadership gap.

He said local leaders including chiefs and their assistants should team up with the clergy to “sanitise” the shopping centre.

He said the continued erosion of societal morals in the area would set a bad precedent to the future generations.

"We should find a way of ensuring our children are always in school rather than being left to loiter in town at odd hours.

"We are living in dangerous times where HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases are killing people more than ever before, and our children might be victims," Mr Nkunja warned.