subject: Majengo, sex and race relations in african areas [print this page] Majengo, sex and race relations in african areas
Shortly after 1922 it became illegal for African women to live outside the newly built Pumwani or to walk after dark.
While the 7 pm t 6 am curfew was meant to curb crime and the 'Watembezi' kind of prostitution, its implementation was so lukewqrm that prostitution was seen as a way of life in majengo later on.
Interestingly, ploice took advantage of the curfew to demand sex as a bribe and thus failed to tame the prostitution.
While the sedentary form of prostitution thrived in the Majengo area, the Watembezi entered the streets after they were ''literally driven off the newly paved streets of the commercial areas'', according to Luise White book Comforts of Home. while the Malaya's operated both during the day and night and attracted the widest range of the labor force because of their secure neighbourhood, it was no wonder that in years to come women owned house and land.
As Nairobi economy started to boom in the mid 1920s women from the neighboring agricultural districts of Kiambu and limuru started to arrive in droves to first sell agricultural products but later decided to supplement their income with sin. Chief Kinyanjui was forced to ask local native council to take action against any married women who went to Nairobi to ostensibly sell cabbages ''but ended up prostituting themselves''
River road was and is still a dangerous district at night. And before men in cars mostly the wealthy could not fancy going into the dark river road with watembezi prostitutes andpioneered the ''pick and drop'' culture of morden day Koinange street. The operating area was then along government road, now Moi Avenue from where the prostitutes would dash to river road if they sighted the police. While prostitution was not outlawed in the early 1920s, solicitation was prohibited under a borrowed indian penal code.
Thus in the bushes and alleways of Pangani and corners of river roa area which was slowly sinking into a state of disrepair after world war 1. Rent for a room had by this time shot up to kshs 20 amonth.
In River road daring Europeans and Indians were on the rising from 25cents in 1914 to kshs 1.50 in prostitutes had significantly changed and records of 1923 census indicated that Kikuyus were the majority in the trade followed by the baganda, Nandi, Somalis and a handful of swahili (actually two)
While it was risky for Europeans to go to Majengo after dusk, River Road at least before 1927 was the preserve of employed Africans, Indians and daring Europeans.
But Majengo was also facing a new competition as a new neighborhood nicknamed Danguroni emerged south of Digo Road and adjacent to Nairobi River.
Danguroni became the new place for young prostitutes who paid kshs 10 for a room while a similar room cost eight shillings in Majengo by 1934.
The statics were also weird because 'short time' cost between two to three shilings while it was higher by 50cents at Danguroni. Taxis would for the first Europeans and Indians to Danguroni and later pick them. Danguroni changed the face of the prostitution in Nairobi and due to the riches exihibited by those women the number of rooms multiplied as the vice increased.
