Thika Town is home to several middle-level colleges as well as the Mount Kenya University main campus.
Consequently, the town has seen a boom of youngsters seeking tertiary education in these institutions.
However, some of these students are not in town for education only. There are those who have turned to crime, peddling drugs, prostitution among others. We focus on the latter.
Why are many college girls around Thika 'hawking' sex in the streets instead of being in class studying hard to yield a successful future?
Well, according to Francis Chege, a Thika-based counsellor and mentor, most of these girls are products of what he termed as 'post-sponsorship' relationships.
Chege speaking to this writer on Friday via phone interview, noted that when most of these girls are dumped by their so-called 'sponsors' they often end up in prostitution to maintain the status quo.
"During the sponsorship period, these girls are exposed to some kind of opulent lifestyle that they find hard to maintain after the sponsor withdraws. And because they want to show their other colleagues in school that everything is okay, their next stage becomes prostitution," Chege said.
He added that these girls often flock the streets on weekends when they are sure of making 'a kill'.
"These girls you find along the streets especially from Friday from as early as 10pm are mostly students. They even shout at you across the street to go and strike a quick 'deal with them because they are desperate to earn something by dayfall.
Chege blamed the society for the social ill saying that it had 'glorified' the behaviour of young girls dating old but rich men even making it look fashionable. As a result, he said, prostitution among college girls will continue to rise.
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