My friends warned me about him, but I chose to go with him | Now, I regret what he did to me

welcome Colleta Atieno, also known as Dota. Colleta was born and raised in Korogocho, in a family of eight. She attended Babadogo Secondary School, but her education was cut short in Form Two after she became pregnant. She had met a man who invited her to his home, where she experienced her first intimate encounter. Later, when she discovered she was pregnant and informed him, he told her she was on her own—he was already married. Her parents supported her throughout the pregnancy and helped her raise her child. Eventually, Colleta met another man, and after some time, they decided to get married. She became pregnant again, but unbeknownst to her, her husband was involved in theft. One day, he stole something and was asked to apologize. He refused, and as a result, he was jailed—leaving Colleta to care for two children alone. She returned to her parents’ home. Around election season, a friend invited her to visit a nightclub—something she had never experienced before. While there, a man approached her and generously ordered food and drinks. She happened to be wearing white undergarments, and another man commented that he was interested in her because, in his view, white signifies cleanliness. On a later visit to the club, the manager offered her a job. She accepted and began working there. However, after a physical altercation broke out one night, she was dismissed from her position. Now unemployed and struggling to provide for her children, Colleta found herself in a desperate situation. She turned to sex work as a means of survival. In her own words, she shares the painful choices she made to entertain men in exchange for money.