
More than 2,000 people who depend on prostitution for a living in Eldoret have expressed their fear of being affected by sexually transmitted diseases due to shortage of condoms.
Through their Eldoret Sex Traders Association (ESWA) said that their members fear an increase in sexually transmitted diseases including HIV infection.
Eswa director Alice Chepngetich Saina, said its 2,800 members are now risking their lives by entertaining their clients without protection against sexually transmitted diseases.
“Currently my members are risking their lives due to the great shortage of condoms. if the situation continues like this, the number of HIV infections and other sexually transmitted diseases will increase,” said Mrs. Saina.
Saina also revealed that there are no HIV testing equipments apart from the lack of other contraceptives.
According to her, over the past five months, the number of her members who have been impregnated due to the lack of condoms has increased.
The increase is also due to the difficult economic times and the poverty faced by sex workers.
“Most of my members live in poverty-stricken slums where prostitution and drug trafficking are rampant, so they are easily enticed to have unprotected sex and lead to unplanned pregnancies,” said Saina.
At the same time, ESWA has expressed fear about the increase in the number of 14-year-old girls who engage in prostitution.
” Most of the young prostitutes in this town are young girls, most of them have dropped out of school, most of them do not know how to use protective equipment to protect themselves from the dangerous HIV virus and other risks that come from unsafe sex,” she said.
The sex workers also accused police officers and county troopers of brutality.
“Many of these women have been victims of cruelty and harassment due to arbitrary arrests, some of them in recent days have been arrested and taken to the county rescue center where they had their hair shaved against their wishes,” added Saina.