The Digital Monetization of Prostitution

An essay by Makena Brandon Introduction Technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives. It has changed how we communicate, how we work, how we learn and even how we make money. But as these changes continue, some old practices have not disappeared. They have simply found new platforms and new names. In this reflection, I share my thoughts on what I believe is the digital monetization of prostitution, and why I think it is a conversation we can no longer avoid.

The Essay

They call it uniting the nation but, for me, I'll be honest with you. That is prostitution digitally monetized. I remember when I was young. I never even knew who prostitutes were. Okay, let me be clear. Apart from the definition of the word prostitution, I could never tell who they really were in real life. Who was the prostitute? Even they never wanted to be identified as one. I come from Nanyuki. Yes, this is Makena Brandon. In all my work, I have made it clear that I come from Nanyuki.

Back then there was a hotel called Joskaki and, by the way, it is still running. I am just not sure whether the prostitutes changed their location or not. Around eight or nine in the evening they would gather there. But I was still a young boy, so I couldn't tell who was a prostitute, who was a hawker and who was a client. Besides, what would a nine or ten-year-old boy be doing there at that hour? In church it was the same thing. Kwanza, I come from the Ministry of Repentance and Holiness under Prophet Dr. David Edward Owuor and, as they like to say, "Let me tell you, Maina."

Anything to do with sexual sin was condemned and is still being condemned. By the way, I appreciate that upbringing because it gave me a certain understanding of morality from a very young age. More so between a man and a woman who were not married. Can you imagine? If it was people of the same sex, I bet hell would break loose. So that was the understanding of prostitution that I grew up with. I even admired the modesty back then. Having a boyfriend or a girlfriend was looked at as something strange.

I remember when I was in Class Six at Dallas Academy under our head teacher, Teacher Bancy. I had been appointed the class prefect. One day I caught a boy and a girl writing letters to each other. They cried and begged me not to tell the teacher. But who was I? I told the teacher. Hahaha.

What We Have Become

But now I am really worried because we have changed, and for the worse. Every day we wake up to someone saying they have "united Kenyans." You would think we had just come from post-election violence and Kofi Annan had come back to unite us again. But no. These days, "uniting Kenyans" simply means posting a woman's nude photos or videos on Telegram. Within minutes everyone is asking for the link. People who have never met suddenly find themselves in one place, all because somebody's body has become the day's entertainment.

The more I watch this happen, the more I feel we are simply refusing to call things by their proper names. We have changed the words, polished the presentation and made it look modern, but the transaction has remained the same. When money is made from selling sexual access to the body, I honestly don't know what else to call it apart from prostitution. The difference today is that it no longer needs a street corner or a lodge. A smartphone and an internet connection are enough.

When money is made from selling sexual access to the body, I honestly don't know what else to call it apart from prostitution.

A Plea

I would really desire that we change. I know life is hard. I know the economy is not where many of us would want it to be. People are looking for ways to survive, and I understand that. But let me ask this. In trying to restore our economy, are we slowly losing everything else? We have already lost so much. Must we also lose our dignity? Must we lose our morality? Must we lose our men and our women too? Think about it for a moment. Some of those videos, nude photos and clips being shared today involve young women and young men.

One day many of them will become parents. Their children will grow up. Do we honestly believe those children will never come across those videos? Do we think their classmates, friends or colleagues will never find them? The internet rarely forgets. Sometimes the choices we make today do not end with us. They follow our children long after we are gone. I think it is time we changed, and changed for the better. Let us not become so desperate to make money that we forget the people who will come after us.

You might make it, but your child could be the one left carrying the consequences of choices they never made. Published 2026 · Discussion Publishers · Nairobi, Kenya.