Nepalese belly dancers ‘survived on tips’ in Nairobi
Nine belly dancers rescued by Police from Balle Balle club in Parklands were never paid salaries and instead survived on tips from clients, a court has heard.
The Milimani law court chief magistrate Francis Andayi was told the nine girls had been promised salaries before leaving their mother countries but their ‘bosses’ changed tune when they arrived in Nairobi and commenced work.
Also, the nine dancers were all over the age of 18, and not below, as was initially claimed. But their passports had been taken away without their consent.
While testifying in the case, Corporal Judith Kimungui from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had told the court that they received intelligence reports that foreign under-age girls were being abused in a city club within Parklands area.
Kimungui who is attached to the transnational unit of organized crime section said that the girls numbering nine were eight Nepalese nationals and one Pakistan national
“We burst into Balle Balle Club in Parklands Nairobi after receiving intelligence reports that under-age girls were being abused at the night club. We identified ourselves then entered the club,” Cpl Kimungui recalled.
When police struck they found the nine girls gyrating their bellies on the dance floor but they fled into a room within the entertainment joint.
Inside the club, the officers found 14 men of Asian origin and 11 Africans enjoying the dancing skills of the girls.
There were containers for depositing tips for the girls.
Kimungui was testifying in a case which the club owner is accused of trafficking the nine belly dancers from Nepal into Kenya.
Milimani law courts chief magistrate Francis Andayi ruled that the director of public prosecutions (DPP) has established a case against Mr Sheikh Furoan Hussein, the proprietor of Balle Balle Club in Parklands Nairobi, where the belly dancers were found.
“I find that the DPP through state prosecutor Angela Fuchaka has established a prema-facie case against Sheikh Furoan Hussein to warrant him being put on his defence in the trafficking in case for exploitation,” ruled Andayi.
At the same time the magistrate discharged Mr Husseins’ co-accused Abduk Waheed Khan for lack of evidence.
The two had been charged with trafficking in persons and harboring them for purposes of exploitation.
The DPP had also charged the two with interfering with the travel documents of the nine girls.
The two traders were further charged with facilitating and aiding foreigners to enter Kenya for purposes of trafficking in persons.
They had also denied that being the proprietor (Hussain) and operator (khan) of Balle Balle Club facilitated the entry of the nine foreign girls for purposes of promoting trafficking in of the complainants between February 19 and July 18 2019.
Upon discharging Mr Khan , the magistrate directed Mr Hussein who is out on cash bail of Sh 2 million to return back to court for his defence on February 4,2021.