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| Amina 32year old gay man |
Through a research and survey conducted, around 739 homosexuals are peddling sex in Mombasa and Kilifi.
The research conducted by the Kenya Medical Research Institute shows the group, majorly called men who have sex with men, is based in Mombasa and Kilifi.
The MSMs are engaged in commercial sex where majority of their clients have been reported to be heterosexuals including married men.
KEMRI's lead researcher Eduard Sanders said the MSMs frequent 77 locations in Mombasa.
The locations include bars, nightclubs, discos, beaches and private brothels.
Others are private estates and public streets and parks.
“We estimated that 739 MSMs sell sex in and around Mombasa. Of these, 484 were contacted through trained peer enumerators in a single day. MSMs in Mombasa represent a sizable population who urgently need to be targeted by HIV prevention strategies,” said Sanders.
He said the number is high due to stigmatization and negligence by the society.
Coast region has been termed the leading area in homosexuality.
Speaking to the journalists on Tuesday, the Mtwapa Initiative for Positive Empowerment director Evans Gichuru said local and religious leaders are to blame for the increased number of MSMs and the group’s HIV/Aids prevalence.
[The star]