Commercial sex workers in Mombasa yesterday protested against what they called inaction by police over the killing of three colleagues.
They marched from Casablanca Club to the office deputy county commisioner Mohammed Mahmoud, where the delivered their petition. Mahmoud was not present. According to the petition, the commercial sex workers alliance said it is disgraceful that no one has been apprehended over the killings.
The three slain sex workers were found dead in different areas in the last month. Their bodies had deep wounds.
Two of the slain sex workers were dumped in Shanzu and Changamwe.
The latest victim was 23-year-old Martha Simiyu, who was found dead in a guest room at Casablanca Club two weeks ago. Simiyu, who has been described as a quiet person, is said to have been drinking with unidentified man on that evening.
Her colleagues said they last saw her entering the hotel with a man, suspected to have later killed her.
Unused condoms were recovered from the room. They said justice has been denied to their colleagues, just because they are sex workers.
Commercial Sex Workers Alliance Mombasa director Benta Joseph demanded that the killings be probed.
“How long should we be hacked before the state intervenes? When shall we put to stop this inhumanity? We are your sisters,mothers and wives,” she said.
Social worker Esther Nelima said Mombasa has at least 10,500 sex workers. She said some of the sex workers are as young as 16 years, while the oldest is about 68 years. Nelima said the killings are just a tip of the iceberg of the problems sex workers suffer “in the line of duty”.
She said the women are raped, sodomised, beaten senseless by their clients and left to die.
