Secrets of Nairobi’s exclusive sex dens

Updated Friday, March 1st 2013 a 11:52 GMT +3

By David Odongo

Filthy rich men spend up to Sh100,000 a night to romp and relax in some of Nairobi’s most exclusive sex hideouts.

The swanky sex dens, unlike the clichéd threadbare settings and barely dressed women in many of Kenya’s brothels, have posh restaurants, swimming pools, saunas and bedrooms straight out of a five-star hotels. 

In one members-only facility located off Ngecha Road in the upmarket Kitisuru Estate, a 10-minute drive from Westlands, our mole had to accompany a patron to gain temporary membership for the night with strict instructions to switch off his mobile phone and avoid posing awkward questions. And behind the black gate surrounded by trimmed greenery, 14 fuel guzzlers parked in the compound — including Range Rovers, BMWs, Mercedes Benzes – told half the story. The other half was inside the imposing house.

The opulence is unmistakable with massive marble columns leading to a sweeping hallway dotted with cream leather couches, huge fascinating pieces of abstract art.  

An exotic door leads to a tastefully furnished restaurant whose relaxing ambience is complemented by piped music and sexy ‘waitresses’ dressed miniskirts, two of who are assigned to join our undercover reporter and his host.

With its polished mahogany counter and wide selection of high-end drinks, this could be any top-notch bar. Annette, one of the women, says she is a banker by day, while Cynthia introduces herself as a lawyer who, clearly has to trade courtroom legalese with dirty talk. This corroborates information from sources that some of the high-class prostitutes in such exclusive hangouts have well-paying careers elsewhere.

European Prostitutes

There are also a number of white women entertaining clients at the facility. Our sources indicated that these women were mostly from Eastern Europe. Attempts to investigate their immigration status were unsuccessful.

The seven-bedroom house is said to have only 22 male members and the minimum charge for any drink—from a tot of fine whisky to a bottle of water or soda — is Sh3,500. No new membership is allowed.

The founder member is said to be an established businessman, who lives in London and only visits once a month. In fact, out of the 22 members, only 14 are in the country and use the facility several times a week, the remaining eight visit less than 10 times in a year. “We don’t handle cash. Everything is billed to one’s tab and is deducted from our accounts at the end of each month. Every member, depending on how frequently they use the facility, deposits a minimum of sh300,000 and is reminded whenever their account is running low,” Annette told our mole.

Next to the bar is a restaurant that overlooks manicured lawns and a swimming pool. Our mole’s host disappears with one of the women for one hour, and claims to have paid Sh50,000 for sex. By the end of the night, Sh93,500 had been deducted from his account.

In a different part of city, this time in Karen, another exclusive brothel is doing brisk business. On entering the gates, a winding tarred road, flanked by tall trees, leads us to a porch with steps to the reception foyer.

The building has a multi cuisine restaurant, mini gym and sauna.  From the reception foyer, wooden stairs lead you up towards the rooms, which are charged at a rate of Sh4,000 per hour. The proprietors extensively used wood for all the fittings, from the reception counter, stairs, and banisters.

“The minimum rate any client pays is Sh8,000. This is the the girl has to give me. Anything else paid by the client is hers. This may range from Sh5,000 to Sh20,000.”  

The main house has six bedrooms, but behind it there is a half-acre garden that has seven cottages for those wishing to spend an entire weekend.

 “What’s the difference between our hotel and the five star hotels in the Mara or Naivasha? We have 22 girls on full time basis. They have day jobs and we have a roster. Due to demand, we will get more girls within the next few weeks to cover day time clients,” says the manager.

No black women

At a separate establishment in Westlands that is open 24 hours, exclusivity acquires new meaning as there is not a single dark-skinned ‘girl’ on offer. Instead, the one can sample from Whites and Arabs to Ethiopians and Indians.     

“A joint like mine can never be shut down. If you know who is in my client list, you will understand why I am saying that,” the owner, who is of Israeli origin, brags when asked if he fears arrest.

Even though he is confident, secrecy is clearly the name of the game. “You can’t see whoever is coming in, and you also can’t see who is leaving. I have separated the entrance from the exit. I have never had two clients meet in the corridors; it’s bad for business. I want all my clients to feel there is privacy and their identity can’t be compromised,” says the pimp. 

He reveals that all his clients call in advance to book appointments with specific women. He explains that even though there is no official membership, only trusted clients are allowed to introduce new people and any unaccompanied first-timer is usually barred. “This is big business. My girls make a minimum of Sh10,000 a day. Some have professional careers but they wanted to quit their jobs to focus full-time on this but I told them ‘No’. I want a girl who works.

The higher her salary, the more she earns from men here. As much as men want fun, it is a bonus if they have fun with an intelligent woman who can hold a conversation. And many more girls want to join but I keep turning them away. I can never run short of girls,” the pimp says. 

Other less exclusive houses of pleasure dot the city’s leafy neighbourhoods. The locations, mostly in gated maisonettes with acres of parking space, are apparently well known to taxi drivers and residents in the neighbourhood. The most prominent ones are in Lavington, Hurlingham, Adams Arcade, Westlands and Kileleshwa.