The work of prostitution in Kenya is somehow legal in certain areas – specifically parts of major cities like Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Kisumu.
According to research, these major cities have been designated as red-light districts. It is illegal to solicit or engage in sexual activities in public, and penalties for engaging in such activities can range from fines to imprisonment.
So, while prostitution may technically be legal in Nairobi, you are still at risk of getting caught and facing criminal charges. If you are looking for a way to avoid such risks, your best bet might be to look for other cities or countries where prostitution is legal.
Currently, the government through the judiciary affirm that the prostitution in our major towns should be decriminalized through amendment of new laws to curb the practice.
While addressing the media, Chief Kenyans Martha Koome said that anybody who engages in prostitution work, both men and women, will no longer be fined or jailed if a new bill proposed by the Judiciary is passed into law.
Koome said that the Bill, Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2023, presented by the Chief to Parliament, seeks to amend how the country deals with capital and criminal offenses.
Sections 153, 154 and 155, penalize prostitution and impose a prison sentence of up to 3 years.
However, the Judiciary proposes to delete the three sections in the Penal Code, meaning that the offenses will no longer be recognized if the bill is passed into law.
In Kenya, a country where 34 to 46% of the population is poor, according to the World Bank, prostitution becomes a rampant survival strategy, although illegal. Across the country, more than 200,000 workers operate in the sex business.
Nairobi and Kisumu alone, have more than 30,000 sex workers. However, the lack of regulation in the sector leads to systematic violations of women’s rights. Social stigma. the situation that has led to serious physical and mental consequences.