BY MANUEL ODENY

Apida estate residents in Migori town held demonstrations against rampant prostitution in their area.

Carrying placards with words against prostitution and carrying twigs angry residents marched through the estate which is after the busy Migori river bridge, through Nyasare and the busy Migori-Kisii highway at the heart of Migori town.

They complained that the old estate has turned into ‘Koinange’ the infamous red-light district in Nairobi where prostitutes walk naked at night and openly engage with their clients for sex.

“We have children who are forced to look on and we are struggling to implicate manners to them because at a young age they start having weird adult games,” Martha Akeyo, a demonstrator said.

She said residential houses have been turned into brothels with houses selling alcohol which is unregulated.

“When we wake up in the morning it common to see used condoms or walk in twilight to see people making it out in open,” Akeyo said.

Apida has an infamous red-light and beer belt street just off the Migori bridge towards the stretch along river Migori towards the Migori muslim cemetry.

The street had the old Resort Resort giving the street the name since 1970s.

The street had Resort Club, Alfronse Bar and later Hygienic Bar which rocked the 90s and 20s.

The only sensible investment in the street was the Silver Nursing Home at the end next to the cemetry but it since closed shop when Bells Club, another famous club owned by the late Jack Oloo took over.

Ever since the street has been known as the alcohol belt with Prestige and Kalunya coming up.

“We used to co-exist with these, but what has killed it is alot of wines and spirits joints which sprung up everywhere and men and women who dont live here taking up residentials houses just furnihsed for sex,” Alex Mzee, who has lived in Apida since 1980s said.

Mzee said now they are faced with young girls dropping out of school, spread of diseases and abuse of drugs,

“We have politicians who also finance gangs of young men like the Culture Boys to be used to create chaos especially during demos,” he said.

Nyasare sub-location chief George Oketch said they have been complains by residents and their demonstration was justified.

“We have sat down to bring sanity in Apida and we are positive that with these support from residents we will make a positive impact,” Oketch said.

He said in some sections of the estate those who have been running alcohol businesses have thwarted attempts at regulation by both national and county governments to collect taxes and check on their licences.

Oketch said they plan to have raids in the estate to restore sanity.