Commercial sex worker’s paradise: Mlolongo’s Madharau Street is 24-hour economy

When you visit Mlolongo, you wouldn’t miss Madharau Street, a stretch occupied by commercial sex workers. The most common business here is wines and spirits stores, miraa dens and butcheries selling meat, from God knows where.

The name Madharau allegedly came about from commercial sex workers’ ill treatment of men of little means who sought their service for a pittance.  The men always ended up saying, “hawa wasichana wanaangalia watu na madharau,” and the name ‘madharau’ (spite) stuck.

This place is also referred to as home away from home, mostly by truck drivers. Most PSV conductors refer to it as Mlolongo ‘Stage ya Juu’, ‘Stage ya Kumi’, ‘Stage ya Kusimama’ or ‘Stage ya Wote.’ Business here goes on round the clock.

According to traders in the area, most of the sex workers travel from far and wide to ply their trade in Mlolongo.

They have special rooms to take care of the need of their clients.

There are all manner of funny stories about what goes on in the rooms, since some of the prostitutes are known to set up or steal from their clients. Stories abound of men bursting into the rooms while ‘customers’ are having a go at it and claiming that the women with whom the clients are having sex are their wives.

Apparently, some of the men don’t even get to taste the goodies after parting with their hard-earned, measly Sh100, as they get harassed by the women who apparently collude with guards to throw out the ‘unruly’ clients.

Saturdays are the busiest and most expensive days, with most industrial workers having been paid their weekly wages.

The bond amongst the sex workers is so strong and messing with one could result in an avalanche of attacks from an army of twilight girls.

It’s a place you don’t want to sample free goods in...You’ll be roughed and forced to pay up with interest. Even the police know that arresting one will see the girls trooping to the station to ‘bail’ their colleague.