Child labour, prostitution still thriving at Kenya's Coast

Children as young as eight years old are working as house girls while others are practising prostitution in many households and brothels within the coastal region, a Nation.co.ke investigation has established.

The children are normally lured from up country and neighbouring countries especially the war torn countries by their relatives and human traffickers with promises of getting the best education in major towns in Kenya only to end up as house girls and prostitutes in brothels and private villas in the Coast region.

The relatives normally persuade the children’s parents or guardians that they will cater for their education from primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

But others use transit vehicles to reach their destinations.

“I live with my aunt in Bombolulu. A year ago she came to northern Kenya and persuaded my parents to let me go and stay with her in Mombasa.

"She promised to cater for my needs and take me to the best school so that I can get a better life and help them in future,” said one of the victims.

POOR PARENTS

“My parents who are very poor obliged. Back home I left while in class two. It was my first time in a town and I did not know how to speak Kiswahili.

But instead of being taken to school, my aunt asked me to take care of her twin boys who are six months old.

My dreams and aspirations of getting education and becoming a teacher have now vanished,” said the girl while tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I have already wasted one year working as a maid. She doesn’t pay me. She has turned me into a punching bag. My mates upcountry are in school but I am here taking care of her babies yet I am only a child,” she added.

The girl revealed that she wakes up at 5am to prepare two other school-going children, cook breakfast, bathe and clothe them before taking them to school.

Upon returning home, she is supposed to cook for the twin toddlers, do house chores and cook lunch for the children in school.

“At lunch time, I have to take the food to school which is nearby. My aunt and uncle leave at 6.30 in the morning and return at 8pm.

CRY AT NIGHT

"When people enquire why I am not in school, I have to lie to them. At night I cry myself to sleep,” she added.

She said whenever she asks her aunt when she will be taken to school as promised she receives thorough beatings with warnings never to talk about such things.

She further said that at one point she contemplated running away but because she doesn’t have any money she opted to stay.

“My parents don’t have a mobile phone, so there is no way I can communicate with them to express my tribulations.

“I have no choice but to stick here. My aunt has on several occasions warned me against talking to other people,” she added.

Mr Adhallah Abdhulrehman, a community policing officer in Kisauni, said he had unearthed a child trafficking syndicate in Kisauni Constituency where children from upcountry are brought to work as domestic workers in major towns within the Coast region.

RAMPANT IN MOMBASA

“Child abuse and child labour is rampant in Mombasa County. How do you feel when you subject a kid to domestic violence and prostitution while your child is in school?” he asked terming the act as inhumane.

“Kisimani is notorious with such cases. There is child trafficking and child labour going on there.

“A week ago I ‘arrested’ a woman who had brought a nine-year-old child from western Kenya to work for her as a house help. I took her to Nyali Police Station and we took the child to a safe house,” he said.

Mr Abdhulrehman added that the girl was taking care of a six-month-old baby.

He said since January 2014, he has rescued seven children in Ziwa la Ngombe, Bombolulu, Kisimani and VOK, all within Kisauni Constituency.

“We have seen an increase in (child) beggars on the streets of Mombasa. Some of the kids are from upcountry who are brought here to beg and make some people rich,” he claimed.

BEFRIEND TOURISTS

In Malindi a three girls aged 12-15 who claimed they are from Nyeri, Kisumu and Machakos revealed to Nation.co.ke that they were brought in coast region to befriend tourists.

“I am here at the beach in search of a mzungu. I was brought here by my cousins. We are 10 girls from different areas in the country staying in a villa. Sometimes we are taken to different private beaches within Coast,” said the eldest, a 15-year-old girl.

As she was talking, a man appeared and warned her against talking to people.

“I am sorry I can’t talk much. That man there will scold me. I know I am a child but through this job I am able to help my parents back at home. I have done this job since I was 12 years old,” she said while leaving.

Mombasa County director of children services Elizabeth Mbuka confirmed the reports saying traffickers are usually elusive and finding justice at the courts is a task because there is a huge cartel doing the illegal business.

She blamed lack of political goodwill, corruption at the porous border points as the major contributors to child trafficking.

“Majority are pushed into prostitution in brothels; it is a dirty game. The children come from as far as Burundi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo.

“Right now we are struggling to reunite some of them with their families. We are trying to get in touch with relevant authorities to help them go back home,” she said.

Ms Mbuka said her office is using children officers from Kenyan border entry points to help locate relatives of the children.

She said they are normally smuggled through the porous borders since no one is keen when it comes to children crossing through the entry points.

“And if the worst comes to the worst, they pay their way out. I am talking about corruption as one of the elements that allow children to cross over,” she revealed.

She said that others are sneaked and ferried into the country through long-distance trucks.

CARTELS INVOLVED

“It is sad that the same officers who are supposed to protect children allow them to cross over.

"It is a challenge for our office to deal with such cases because trafficking is a cartel both from people inside the country and outside,” she added.

She said parents normally give out their children in good faith but people end up abusing them.

“I have about 11 foreign children from different countries, one from Tanzania, two from Rwanda, two from Burundi, three from Uganda, two from Congo and one from Ethiopia, all below 13 years.

“We usually keep them in safe houses as we try to reunite them with their families but in the meantime we counsel them because they are normally traumatised,” she revealed.

She said sometimes the children are re-trafficked and she blamed it on lack of mechanisms to do follow-ups.

“I am hoping once the government sets up a country anti-trafficking policy it will become easier to deal with it but now it is still a challenge,” she said.

She said according to the reports she gets, cases of human trafficking are rampant in Kisauni.

“Child trafficking has increased to an alarming rate. Children are being sexually exploited, others, especially girls, are forced to work as domestic workers,” she stated.

She said there is a lot of abuse at different levels ranging from physical, sexual and psychological abuse.

LEADING SUB COUNTIES

The officer said according to a survey from different sub counties within Mombasa County, Kisauni, Likoni, Changamwe and Mombasa towns are leading in child abuse and negligence.

“So far I have two cases in court but the perpetrators are still at large. The good thing is that the child is in a safe house being counselled,” she said.

Human rights organisations at the Coast have blamed the tourist police unit for failure to curb the menace due to corruption.

Haki Africa’s Francis Auma, Julius Ogogoh, an activist with the Commission for Human Rights and Justice, and Fahad Changi, a rapid response officer with Muslim for Human Rights (Muhuri) want the government to overhaul the tourist police department.

“There are private villas owned by influential people in this region especially in Mtwapa, Malindi, Ganjoni and Nyali where such acts are rampant.

“Police are aware but money is changing hands. There are private beaches and apartments where child sex tourism is a booming business,” said Mr Ogogoh.