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| Caroline Mawia |
By Cate Mukei
Who is Caroline Mawia?
I am a 24-year-old, first-year student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) pursuing Mass Communication degree. I was born in Mwingi in Kitui County. My parents later separated and I moved to Garissa with my father and my other siblings. We were not rich, but life was bearable until my father’s death in 2011.What killed your father?
He died in a grenade explosion in Garissa. Actually, he was featured in the newspapers. He died while undergoing treatment. I was in Form Three at the time. I dropped out of school for lack of fees. It took me about seven years to finish school. I came to Nairobi where I worked as a house cleaner.
Where was your mother all this time?
I stayed with her briefly but later moved out. She introduced me to prostitution. Her rent in Mwingi was Sh2,000 a month and she demanded I chip in.
What about your siblings?
I have three brothers. They are all working, but they refused to help me. My elder brother is a pastor, but when my father died, he confiscated the death certificate. It was so hard to find help from anyone. My other brother lives in Garissa and I have tried to plead with him, but he has refused to help me.
My third brother is a mason in Garissa. He has several wives and kids and ironically, asks me for money. My elder sister got married at the age of 16; she has two kids and is separated. I have two other younger siblings who are with my mother in Mwingi.
So how did you find yourself in Nairobi?
I came to Nairobi when a friend hooked me up with a job as a house cleaner after my father died. My brothers and mum went back to their normal lives and left me to take care of myself.
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All I wanted was to go back to school. I managed to save some money and luckily, my employer also topped up after working for him for a year. I decided to register at Tabaka High School in Kisii, but I had to drop out mid-year due to complications with my come-we-stay husband.
What exactly happened?
We were schoolmates and I was living in their home. We met in school and he took me to his parents’ home where he explained my situation.
Unfortunately, due to our cultural differences, his parents were not impressed and accused me of bewitching their son and sent me away. I came back to Nairobi and continued working as a housegirl before going back to sit for my KCSE.
How was your performance?
I scored an A- and registered for a course in Mass Communication at JKUAT in 2015. I’m stuck because I don’t even have money to pay my fees and I recently fell sick.
What are you suffering from?
I was diagnosed with ulcers and got a breast infection. One of my nipples is now producing puss and I also got infected with an STI.
How and when did you get the STI?
Last month. I was desperate and needed to survive and so I registered as an escort on a website. Unfortunately, I got raped by a man who did not even bother to wear a condom. I have been stuck in the house, unable to walk for the last two weeks. I feel like giving up. Sometimes I just want to die.
How much were you earning as an escort?
A thousand shillings per night, but I could not work every night because sometimes I could not even walk. Some men were very brutal and left me injured most of the time.
Have you tried to reach out to your family again?
I did, but my brother, the pastor, said he does not want anything to do with me. He says I belong to Illuminati because when I dropped out of school, there were cases of devil worship. He still believes that I was suspended from school yet I dropped out due to lack of fees.
What is your plan?
I actually don’t have any plan. I have given up! I can hardly afford money for food or to even go back to hospital. I’m just praying for a miracle.
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