A Kenyan woman, Nakuru woman Patricia Wanjiru has narrated her journey to Mombasa and how she ended up in a brothel.

The  40-year-old woman from Bahati constituency in Nakuru county relived  chilling details of work she observed her friends do for almost 13 years.

A report by Patricia Wanjiru did not have a smooth childhood. After finishing school, she became a mother of four children out of wedlock. At the time, she lived under her mother’s roof, a woman she said had favourites and often treated her differently.

Speaking exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, Wanjiru said she decided to look for a job to avoid constant arguments and clashes with her mother.

“Most times, my beloved mother made me feel guilty for having children out of wedlock and being jobless, yet we needed to eat,” she said.

“She loved my sister more. I felt neglected as mum never involved me in her affairs. I think it was because I was named after her first husband, who was very violent. My sister had her heart, and I was only trying to fit in,” she added.

In 2011, a neighbour linked her up with a job that required her to travel to Mombasa.

The mother of four thought she had been called to work as a househelp. She packed her things and left her children under her mother’s care. Upon arrival, the neighbour who had brought her to Mombasa received her and took her to another woman, who she said would pay her for washing bedsheets and cooking.

Wanjiru was fine with the duties as long as she could send money home. The first two weeks went smoothly; she did laundry and cooked while being paid KSh 300 daily.

However, she soon wondered why the woman had so many young women in her home, none of whom seemed related. Over time, she learnt she was working in a brothel after the woman in charge initiated her into the job.

“One of the clients saw me and told the woman in charge that he wanted me. I learnt that my neighbour who brought me to Mombasa had been paid KSh 10,000 for me to work in the brothel,” she shared.

It was difficult, but eventually Wanjiru got used to the work and made good money, which she sent home for her mother to care for her four children.

How did Patricia Wanjiru leave the brothel?

As months passed, the 40-year-old learnt the workings of the job and could attract several clients who booked under the pretence of visiting a massage parlour.

The women could not leave once inside, as the woman in charge “owned” them. Luckily, Wanjiru and three of her friends managed to escape.

“You could not escape. If there was a house call, the boss would call her taxi driver, who would drop us off and pick us up later,” she explained.

They decided to start working independently, approaching men on their own in the streets.

Anytime they returned to their shared house, they discussed ways of leaving that life while still making money. Their stories often revolved around targeting rich white men who could marry them and help them escape poverty.

Wanjiru recounted that some women she had seen leave the job eventually settled down with wealthy white men who supported them and their children. However, she said attracting such men was an expensive and complex process.

Rituals to attract wealthy white men in Mombasa

Wanjiru explained that many women visited witchdoctors to perform rituals to attract the “wazungus.” Two of her friends, who could afford it, paid a man from Mtwapa to take them to a witch doctor, who performed the rituals.

The mother of four said the ritual involved burying half of the body for three to seven days, depending on the amount paid and the request made. During this time, the witch doctor conducted additional rituals, chanted, and prepared the women to meet their target men.

“They buried half of their bodies and performed other rituals. Once they were back, they wouldn’t stay long without meeting a mzungu. They could even go to the beach and find one immediately. If the mzungu had another girlfriend, they would leave her and take him,” she shared.

Wanjiru regretted not having the money to pay the witch doctor and the man who connected the women to him.

“I was desperate to get rich and stop selling myself for money. If I had had the required funds, I would have undergone the ritual,” she admitted.