How university students are falling prey of 'sponsors'

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE </xml><xml> </xml> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> When gentlemen and ladies successfully join higher learning institutions, the society envisions in them elites with sense of direction and moral behavior as they grow into adulthood. However, some of the varsity students have taken up unexpected behaviours, proving to degrade their morality while at campus.

In most occasions when a sponsor is mentioned, people quickly deduce that it is all about a person or organization that has a responsibility for another one, especially on religious, legal or financial aspects.

But the term ‘sponsor’ is a colloquial expression that has gained a new meaning referring to sugar daddies and mummies. Their description is almost similar to what people call today Team Mafisi, only that ‘sponsors’ are affluent people who only want sexual favours in exchange of money. Most university female students are easily falling prey to sugar daddies.

As the number of these ‘sponsors’ escalate in universities in Kenya, parents are worried that they may not get the expected moral outcomes from their sons and daughters who join the higher learning institutions.

Since the young people in campus are sexually active by the age of 20, they are ready to do anything for the financially stable men and women in exchange for money, regardless of their age, health or marriage status.

Confessions by some of the victims reveal that most of the students who fell in the hands of the ‘sponsors’ began the love for pleasure and expensive lifestyles even when they had their boyfriends.

Cynthia (real name concealed), met a boyfriend who was in second year at the time she was admitted as a fresher. Her boyfriend lured her with money and goodies which she says was part of his HELB loan. This was the beginning of a new and expensive lifestyle in campus, a life she had never experienced while at home.

She also got her HELB loan in her second semester after successfully applying for it. The loan spiced up her luxurious living. She later met a league of ladies who introduced her to going to night clubs and drinking sprees on weekends. While there, she was hooked up by her friends to some affluent fellas who used to entice her with a happy life so long as she satisfies their sexual desires.

At first, Cynthia was resistant but when she became broke and her boyfriend could not satisfy her financial needs any longer, she was finally convinced to accept offers from a retired army officer and was even ready to move in with him as a second wife.

As a result, she could no longer stay in her university’s hostel but went ahead to live a self-contained house the officer had rented for her in an estate near Kisii town.

Luxury was the order of the day while attending to lectures was a thing of the past despite efforts by her classmates to talk to her. Although she had got a man who provided everything she asked for, she found herself into a trap she could not easily run away from.

The officer’s wife realized her husband’s clandestine lover, which prompted her to report the matter to the police. After investigations, Cynthia was arrested and her parents called in to solve the matter. The situation taught her a hard lesson even as she lives to tell the turning point of her life.

Cynthia says university students more so ladies are prone to looking for ‘sponsors’ when they face financial difficulties.

 “This is why they (sponsors) target campus ladies because they know they will be attracted to their rich pockets. Some of the students may not necessary come from poverty stricken families but the kind of lifestyles they take up are what contribute largely,” she describes.

According to her, most campus girls desire to live a stylish and high class kind of life and adapting to the changing world, be it fashion or technology. She adds that the ‘sponsors’ are always ready to accommodate pretty young ladies only for sexual favours.

Phyllis, another university student, paints the real picture on the kind of ‘sponsors’ who target the university students. She notes that the ‘sponsors’ comprise of both middle-aged and old guys who play the game. They range from tycoons and prominent politicians above 50 years of age, to young professionals such as yuppies or young entrepreneurs.

“They engage university students because they are either bored with their marriage partners or just want to make fun with young ladies,” says Phyllis.

She adds that they perform a range of activities for their secret lovers such as paying their school fees and house rent, taking them to holiday trips, buying them cars, houses as well as household shopping. She adds that varsity ladies are prevalent to falling into the traps of ‘sponsors’ more than their male counterparts since many of them are old rich men seeking pleasure.

Phyllis says the ‘sponsors’ not only meet the young ladies in clubs, but also come for them personally in campus. They include some of the lecturers and non-teaching staff, who regularly are spotted driving their posh cars towards the university on weekends, only to fish out their concubines.

Moreover, some of them use other university students who link them up to beautiful ladies by giving out mobile phones numbers and the names they use on social media.

Worried parents admit it is hard to understand ladies when they join universities because of the long distance between them and their children in campus. They wish that their daughters do not emulate such habits from their peers.

Kisii University assistant dean of students Francis Kerongo, condemns such behaviour and urges varsity students to shun from engaging with these kind of people. He attributes the issue to lack of sex education among the university students.

“As a person who deals closely with students’ matters I become disturbed when I see young innocent ladies who join campus develop the lust for money in exchange for sex. Universities have counseling departments and they must carry out sex education regularly to keep our students on track,” he notes.