Inter Press Service - August 11, 2006
Joyce Mulama

"Some people think that they (bar attendants) are willing to do anything that goes with the aftermath of drinking beer. Drunkards make derogatory statements and even force the hostesses to sleep with them," says Laura Wangari, a social worker who deals with the waitresses, also referred to as bar hostesses.

"Besides, bar owners may order a hostess to entertain loyal customers even if it means (this woman) having sex with them. The hostess has no choice but to follow orders, to avoid losing her job," she adds.

Women who ask for condoms to be used in such instances may be assaulted by irate clients who refuse the prophylactics.

All of this brings with it a heightened risk of exposure to HIV -- something that came under scrutiny this week at the National Bar Hostess Conference on HIV/AIDS, the first of its kind to take place in Kenya. About 500 hostesses attended the Aug. 10-11 meeting, held in Nairobi by the Kenya Bar Hostess AIDS Programme (KBHAP) -- a non-governmental organisation.

Over two million of the 30 million inhabitants of Kenya have already contracted the AIDS virus.

The meeting came just a week after an incident at Ongata Rongai on the outskirts of the capital, which saw a bar hostess hit on the head with a bottle by a male client; this left her unconscious. The client apparently felt offended when the woman refused to have unprotected sex with him.

Other waitresses are said to have died in similar occurrences, although the number of those who lost their lives is not known.

The risk of HIV spreading amongst bar hostesses is increased still more by the fact that some engage in prostitution, to supplement the meagre salaries they earn while waitressing.

A 25-year-old hostess who was interviewed by IPS at the conference is a case in point: she earns from 32 to 41 dollars a month -- barely enough to provide for herself, her nine-year old daughter, and other family members.

"I have my child, and three siblings who are under my care after both my parents died. The money I get from my employment cannot sustain me and so I have to engage in commercial sex, whereby I get between 500 to 1,000 Kenya shillings (about seven to14 dollars) for every sex session," the hostess said.

"I do not like what I do; I just do it because I cannot get a decent job, given the fact that I dropped out of school due to lack of school fees. If I had a chance to get a decent job, I would quickly run to it."

The pressing need for money may force some hostesses to accept less than a dollar from their clients -- some of which have been known to leave after sex without paying.

All in all, says KBHAP coordinator Beatrice Nyawera, it is clear that other ways of earning a living have to be found for the bar hostesses.

"There is need for other income-generating opportunities to be explored for the bartenders, who are quite vulnerable. Alternative sources of income, away from the bar hostess career which puts lives of bar hostesses at risk, need to be taken into consideration," she notes.

One of the first steps in this direction may involve putting hostesses in contact with financial institutions that that can provide them with credit to start businesses.

In the interim, the threat of physical and sexual violence that looms over attendants needs to be addressed, says parliamentarian Njoki Ndung'u, who has called on hostesses to make greater use of sexual offences legislation.

Previously, the stigma that attached to working in a bar caused certain hostesses to avoid reporting violence, fearing their complaints would be disregarded -- or worse: police have reportedly abused attendants who tried to notify them of assaults.

"Bar hostesses are discriminated upon when they report sexual violence," admits Ndung'u. But, "Sexual violence is about consent, regardless of one's profession. When a woman says 'no', it is 'no'."

"The sexual offences law cannot be effected before it is implemented, and it cannot be implemented if those offended do not complain. You must report violations for action to be taken," she notes.

On a promising note, the sexual offences law -- which came into effect last month -- provides for police to be trained in dealing with those who suffer sexual abuse.

According to the KBHAP, there are 160,000 hostesses in the employ of some 40,000 bars in Kenya. (END/2006)

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