12/03/2023
Nairobi.
"It feels safe that you are anonymous. I will be very brutal with this."
As a young man and a novice in the employment world, I'd never imagine s*xual favours in exchange for work-a narrative I believed only existed in the female world.
You haven't seen it all if a Male CEO in Nairobi hasn't asked you out the first weekend after being posted for work. My work station is along Ngong road, (what a name). I found this job through a referral after hunting for a whole year and as luck would have it I was considered after three interviews. The work environment safe and coy, with an allowance of working from home after the first month. Mine is a male dominated office, a team of 10, out of which only two are female_both married. Out of the other eight, I happen to be the youngest male and the most lightly built.
My first five days were usual orientation by my supervisor, an easy looking guy and quite polite. There was not much to be oriented in Data analysis and by Friday second week of January I was done.
I would be called in by the supervisor and the CEO to do a review of the first week. All went well, and I was even excited at how both kept referring me as young man. I forgot, my supervisor is white. But the CEO a Popular Kenyan man who is quite well known for philanthropy and support to politicians. He requests to hava a word after the review, and as the supervisor walks out, he asks if we could walk out as he was headed to town. I do not drive. We'd drive to Westlands Nairobi and to an exclusive joint along church rd. And there my friend is where I was complimented on my looks and brains and told how far I would go. Problem is I all along thought this was a 'Mentor' thing, to hangout with your boss and talk. But i felt Brilliance leave my head and my nuts shrink on a mans comment on my beauty. He said that it would be low key and nobody would know. Nobody needed to know. That he has a family and a social status and that this would be our alibi. We'd meet at my place once in a while or out of the country for work. The reward? A car of my choice to start with and relocation from Thikka to town. I have never been so scared as a man. We would be later joined by three guys, very popular in my country, over continuos toasts to whisky. I had to fake an emergency as women do, as it was getting very late and I couldn't risk my hind quarters. This was however followed by a money wire of 300dollars. The money I took.
I declined the lover offer, over a summoning in the office as no calls or texts could be made in regard to that communication. Almost two months later, I still work here. He rarely will ask for me, but he still sends me money that I have never asked for. Will I quit? I don't think so. I am faced with a dilemma of poverty, morality and just letting be. It have anxiety as any day could be my last day at work. I do not have much of a voice as the person has power and I do not want to be in a dissapearance act. Men too, are victims of s*xual abuse in the work place. Leave me Anonymous.