Housegirls’ pay rise spells doom to their relationships with watchmen boyfriends

The move by government to grant house girls a 12 per cent pay increase, pushing their monthly salary to Sh10,954 from Sh9,781 last year, has dealt a major blow to their relationships with boyfriends, majority of whom are watchmen.

Reportedly, the new directives have not only made the domestic workers expensive for employers to afford, but also pushed them beyond the reach of the average watchman. “You are not my type! I don’t date cheap guys like you,” a house girls was overheard sneering at a watchman who tried to seduce him at an estate in Nairobi. The house girls, now loaded with more money, are no longer comfortable with cheap thrills like being taken out for dates at lowly places such as Uhuru Park in Nairobi.

“Their demands are bigger now... just like happened with councillors when the new constitution rebranded them MCAs!” said one Baptista, a night watchman whose relationship with a house girl is on the rocks over the pay rise.

“The cheap gifts I used to buy her are no longer appreciated with enthusiasm like before. I’m now being required to do more to impress and I’m now in debt. In her, I had a low-maintenance girlfriend, but this pay rise has just spoilt things...naomba serikali tafadhali ifikirie hii mambo tena(I beseech the government to please rethink this matter).”

The story is the same across the country; watchmen are crying foul with no where to turn to for love. One panic-stricken watchman narrated to this writer how his girlfriend who had formed a habit of always ‘flashing’ him, shocked him when she begun making long phone calls.

“I knew the dung had hit the fun when she began making endless phone calls, without even complaining and expressing fear that her airtime was running out--typical of her. She threw me into panic!” agonised Makokha, yet another watchman. “At first I suspected there was a third party in the mix, but then I realised it was the pay rise. I swear, I’m dumping her. I can’t date an independent career woman!”

The pay rise has also raised the financial sophistication of the domestic workers. Some house girls have even opened bank accounts, scaring their men even more. Others have joined Saccos, and left merry go rounds to village peasants. Envious employers are not a happy lot, either. Not just because they have to pay these girls handsomely, but because they are slowly but surely catching up with their flashy lifestyles.

Jane, one such employer, lamented that her house girl has even bought a smartphone that looks like hers. “Things have never been the same again, since she bought an android phone. She now spends more time on social media and on WhatsApp than watching Nigerian voodoo flicks on telly,” revealed Jane.

But even more painful for Jane was the fact that her house girl declined her friendship request. “I mean doesn’t she know who pays her salary? And why on earth would she ignore my Facebook friend request and refuse to follow me on twitter?

My tweets are awesome!” Jane lamented in what is likely to be the scenario playing out in thousands of other Kenyan households.

Others are worried that with smart phones and cheap bundles, the house girls will now turn tables on their employers.

“Who knows... they might revenge on those of us who have been installing nanny cams by setting up secret cameras and voice recorders so as to spy on us gossiping about them and get to know what we get up to when they are off duty!” warned a scared employee.