The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Related Articles
Sex workers in Kenya have raised alarm over the persistent violence and killings targeting their colleagues, highlighting the absence of protective measures as they carry out their work across the country.
Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi on December 17, 2025, to mark the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, women from SWOP Ambassadors emphasized the dangers they face, reporting that 27 sex workers were murdered in 2025 alone.
Click here to join our WhatsApp Channel
Farida Wairimu of SWOP Ambassadors said the deaths result from the lack of adequate protection for sex workers.
“These deaths happened because there are no effective protection mechanisms for sex workers,” she said. “On this International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, we want to highlight a truth Kenya continues to ignore. Violence persists because the law and systems criminalize survivors while shielding perpetrators.”
Wairimu added that SWOP Ambassadors recorded 345 cases of violence against women in sex work in Nairobi this year, 27 of whom were killed.
“These are not just numbers—they are lives lost because seeking help felt too risky,” she said.
Veronica Were, a sex worker and paralegal, criticized the public and institutions for failing to protect sex workers and hold offenders accountable.
Click Here To Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel
“When sex work is unprotected, abusers act without consequences. Progress happens when survivors have paralegals, non-judgmental hospital care, legal support, and witness protection. Only then do files stay intact, arrests happen, convictions are secured, and violence is deterred,” she explained.
Were also condemned the Presidential Task Force on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide for ignoring data and testimonies submitted by sex workers a year ago.
“The task force was meant to tackle these patterns of violence. Yet, one year later, their report remains unpublished. This silence betrays women, the public, and families of the victims. A national response that excludes sex workers is neither fair nor inclusive. We demand the immediate release of the report and official recognition of our experiences to inform policy,” she concluded.
