Expose these neighbours who run brothels
That prostitution is rife in Nairobi has never been in doubt.
The age old practice has thrived in the county since time immemorial, earning streets like Koinange the dubious distinction of being one-stop centres for sex.
What should worry every Nairobi resident as well as the County Government and the police is the emergence of a new and disturbing trend where the girls are now moving from the lodges and noisy drinking dens to the estates.
Investigations have established that unlike in the past where you could expect to find a call girl on Koinange Street or in some dingy drinking den on Moi Avenue or Latema Road, the house next door might easily turn out to be a brothel.
The authorities admit that houses of ill repute are springing up all over the county —from Komarock to Kileleshwa, Woodley to Hurlingham, Kilimani to South C, and South B to Westlands.
With the brothels operating right inside our estates, it means our children are forever facing the danger of moral corruption.
Residents associations appear incapable of dealing with the mushrooming brothels in spite of complaints from residents.
According to Stephen Mutoro, the CEO of the Kenya Alliance of Residents Associations, it is nearly impossible for authorities to crack down on estate brothels because of the secretive nature of the trade.
Containing prostitution
Authorities too appear to be experiencing myriad difficulties containing prostitution.
Largely, police rely on the public to complain before they act but such complaints are rarely forthcoming.
It is encouraging to note that last November, police from Kilimani swooped on an apartment on Elgeyo Marakwet Road in Kilimani and arrested seven twilight girls whom they took to court.
Kilimani OCPD Peter Kattam promised that such swoops would continue to ensure the county was rid of the brothels.
For the authorities to fight prostitution, it is imperative that each one of us plays a role in exposing them.
It is our hope that the Nyumba Kumi Initiative will play a big part in smoking out such dens of vice that survive even in our neighbourhoods.