In Uganda’s capital city, commercial sex
workers, who operate illegally on the streets and suburbs, have every
intention of celebrating the season: with special arrangements for their
expected customers.
On a recent Sunday night, I set out to visit them in some of their operation areas, beginning with those near Fairway hotel.
They initially mistook me for a customer
and when I told one of them that I was a journalist who wanted an
interview with a few of them, she became angry and called others who
started insulting and chasing me away.
“You think we are here at this time of
the night [it was midnight] to make money for The Observer? We only
entertain willing buyers, not journalists,” said one of them,
punctuating her sentiments with obscenities.
As I turned to leave, one of them asked
if I was ready to pay Shs 10,000 for her time; she was ready to
‘entertain’ me for 10 minutes only. After I accepted the condition, she
got excited and led me to Fairway hotel’s gardens.
When I offered to buy her a soda, she
promised to accommodate me for another five minutes as a bonus, although
she preferred a beer. When I told her my religion does not allow me to
buy alcohol, she took the soda willingly. She asked if I had a camera. I
told her I didn’t, but she frisked me to prove my lack of ‘ammunition’.
Telling me she was Anita Mbabazi – a
name I did not believe was correct – she said she was a first-year
student at Makerere University who was dealing in sex trade to get
pocket money for her university upkeep and get a better livelihood
because her mother was a single parent who could not afford these in
addition to the tuition fees.
“I would not have gone through this
calendar year if I was not dealing in commercial sex work. I began this
business from Nakulabye for three months but the price there for short
games was so low that I came here where our chairperson demanded for Shs
300,000 for me to be accepted at this place as a member,” Mbabazi told
me.
For the last nine months, she says she
has been able to feed herself, shift to a better hostel around Makerere
and buy luxuries such as a television set.
.
“Unlike at Nakulabye where one takes you
for a night at Shs 20,000 and ‘short’ goes for Shs 5,000, here a night
goes for around Shs 50,000,” she said, seemingly proud of her
‘investments’. “A whole weekend a customer can pay you between Shs
100,000 and Shs 150,000, Friday inclusive and if you are lucky, a
foreigner can part with $100 (Shs 250,000) for the same period.”
At this point, their chairperson who
Mbabazi introduced as Sarah joined us and jokingly asked why I had
trespassed in her territory. After apologizing and offering her Shs
5,000, she gave me details of their Charismas package.
Bad Black their inspiration
According to Sarah, this package which
she refers to as “take-away package”, is meant for well-off clients
starting on December 25 to January 1. Starting on the very day Jesus
Christ was born to save the world?!
Sarah says the prices have doubled this
festive season and in addition to the payment, a customer must be
willing to take the prostitute to one of the entertainment places. I
guess their way of working without missing out on the happening
programmes...
“This kind of arrangement might help
some of us to become richer. Don’t forget that our former colleague
Shanita Namuyimbwa [aka Bad Black] got rich from this area when she
bumped into the British millionaire who bought her for a night at Shs
300,000 and the duo later became real lovers,” Sarah, in her late 20s,
said.
There is a self-accommodation package too.
“Because of police harassment, some of
us who have our own residences are willing to take our willing clients
at our homes where one pays us double the normal price. Like me, I have a
vehicle which he must be willing to fuel and we take time off to an
entertainment place of my choice. These two packages expire on January
1,” Sarah, who has been arrested nine times and charged twice before a
KCCA court, added.
Climax package, on the other hand, is
meant for clients who only intend to use them for only Christmas, Boxing
Day or January 1. The price tag on their bodies is still double the
normal season and terms and conditions – which include strict condom use
– apply.
They have what they call the Risky
package, meant for clients who want sex without protection. Basically,
for clients who are suicidal and those who think they have nothing to
lose. According to Sarah, some of the sex workers have HIV/Aids and are
willing to have unprotected sex with HIV-positive customers at a much
higher fee.
“During a sensitisation workshop, we
were told that some people have dangerous HIV/Aids and that sleeping
with various men can reduce one’s life, but still some of our colleagues
do it at a higher fee because to them money comes first,” added Sarah.
I proceeded to Nile avenue where a lone
sex worker near Uganda Broadcasting Corporation told me she was stranded
because she had not received any client by that time – around 12:30am.
For reasons unknown, buyers seemed to be rejecting her ‘goods’. She
requested for Shs 3,000 to take her back to her Namasuba home.
“Unlike other years, there seems to be
more poverty this year. At around this time last year, we were making
money. I am fed up of this condition but I am still forced to do it
because of my child whom I am looking after and if I get a willing man
to take me with my child, I can get married,” said this commercial sex
worker, who referred to herself as Lisa.
Along First street near the New Vision offices, one Natukunda complained of police harassment.
“If you are lucky, they will ask for a
bribe, but at times they take us to police stations and the rude ones
force us into unprotected sex in a cemetery along Jinja road; others
just steal our money and let us go,” Natukunda added.
However, the Kampala Metropolitan Police
boss Andrew Felix Kaweesi referred to these allegations as wild and
said police is planning to arrest and charge these sex workers. Their
plans and special packages for the festive season may be in vain, if the
police plans for them are anything to go by.
“Commercial sex work is an illegal trade
and we shall join hands with Kampala Capital City Authority [KCCA] to
arrest and charge them for we have reports that they rob people at
night,” said Kaweesi.
At a recent press conference, KCCA
executive director Jennifer Ssemakula Musisi said that just as the
authority now arrests those buying merchandise from illegal vendors and
charges them with abating crime, they will do the same to men who buy
sex workers. Musisi was supported by Kampala Resident City Commissioner
Mpimbaza Hashaka.
“I became a victim of these women and I
support their total removal even for security purposes,” Mpimbaza, who
is head of the city’s security, said without elaborating how he “fell
victim”.
At the infamous Daido building opposite
Makindye military barracks, a few commercial sex workers lurked around
because the building is still under renovation. They were unhappy that
their clients had taken their “
“business” to Kabalagala and Ggaba.
While at Kabalagala’s Kataba, a place
notorious for prostitutes, this business begins as early as 8pm, the
“cheapest commodities” were found in Ggaba.
“For us, we are like the Chinese; we
don’t send away customers. We offer short services [for] between Shs
3,000 mostly to boda boda cyclists, and Shs 10,000 for fishmongers and
other well-off clients. A night goes for Shs 20,000.
We have no problem with the police and
local council authorities in the area because our landlord has
compromised them,” said one Justine. Whereas Ben Kiyimba, one of the LC I
officials in Ggaba mission, denied this allegation saying removal of
these sex workers is a KCCA and police affair, the police O.C Ggaba
could not comment as he was reported out of the station.
The Ggaba chairperson, one Mumbejja,
says each client must pay Shs 10,000 to the landlord one Masinde, who
also runs a bar called Cheers in the area. However, kickboxer Titus
Mugume, who is also one of the escorts of Col Jackson Bell around whose
residence these sex workers operate from at Agali Awamu road in Ggaba,
said there was need to get rid of them as they abuse passersby at night
using obscenities.
Well, a merry Christmas to you all, for what it’s worth!
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