Mother of two in Tala seeks help to quit sex work after emotional viral clip

A viral video of a woman from Tala in Kangundo has publicly appealed to Kenyans for help to change her life and secure a stable job.

The woman, identified as Mary Kamene, said she consented to the recording of the now widely shared clip in the hope that it would reach well-wishers willing to support her transition from sex work to a more stable livelihood.

In the emotional video, Kamene candidly admits she has been working as a commercial sex worker, a path she says she was pushed into by difficult financial circumstances.

“I was the one who agreed to have the video taken so that I can get help. I am the one who asked for help. My name is Mary Kamene,” she says in the footage.

Kamene, a mother of two, says she is increasingly exhausted by the harsh realities of the trade and now wants to leave it behind.

“I am tired of hustling and this work. I am also getting old, my children are getting older and I want to stop doing this work,” she explains.

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Speaking from her modest one-room house, Kamene describes the daily struggles she faces while trying to provide for her children. With barely any furniture in the room apart from bedding spread on the floor, she says life has been a constant battle for survival.

“I bought this packet of unga yesterday and now I am preparing a meal for my children,” she says in the video.

According to Kamene, her nights are often spent searching for clients while her children remain at home waiting for her return.

“I leave the house after making supper and come back late at night. Sometimes my children wait for me. Some nights you get Sh200, other nights nothing. At times you come back home tired and rained on with nothing,” she says.

She also appealed to well-wishers to help improve her living conditions, including buying her a bed, noting that she currently cooks using a kerosene stove or firewood when fuel runs out.

In an interview with an online publication, Kamene said her involvement in sex work has taken a toll on her health, revealing that she contracted HIV during encounters with clients.

The distressed mother also claimed that her struggles may be linked to a neighbour she accuses of bewitching her, although the claim remains unverified.

Despite the hardships, Kamene says her biggest wish is to secure a respectable job that would allow her to raise her children with dignity and finally leave the streets behind.