Miss Mboch

Let me begin by saying that I find the word 'mboch' derogatory. That also goes for 'mbochne'. Refer to your maid as anything else (hauzi, house-help, domestic worker), just not 'mboch'. My Sheng is a bit rusty so am not sure what they call domestic workers nowadays in the language (is Sheng a language?). I cannot claim to know the origin of the word, but whenever I hear 'mboch', I think of a group of spoilt, middle-class Nairobi kids who patronise those that they deem beneath them. To me, the word is quite discriminatory, sort of like calling a Kenyan-Indian "chuuti" to their face. Diction aside, I find it interesting that almost everyone in urban Kenya hires someone to work in their home. And this is regardless of social class and income. Some time back, I worked with a women's group in one of Nairobi's smaller informal settlements, or if you like, slums. What always used to fascinate me is that some of the women I worked with, who were themselves maids in nearby suburbs, sometimes hired people to work in their homes. So really, literally everyone in urban Kenya from the woman in Mathare to me, has hired a domestic worker at some point in their lives.

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I was brought up in a middle-middle class home (although there were times when things were very difficult and that first 'middle' would change to 'lower'). As far as I can remember, we always had domestic help, sometimes when we were younger, as many as two or three house-helps worked in our home. I've already mentioned here that my family is big. My mother has been very active in our upbringing, but let's face it, when you have seven young children, you need a helping hand. Sometimes, four helping hands. Especially when you are juggling parenthood with a career and school. So yes, I guess my family, just like the next Kenyan family, has been blessed in this way. From the lovely ladies who used to make pumpkin-leaf porridge (one of the best things in the world) for us when we were small kids, to crazy Priscilla to the lovely Ann who is currently working for my mum, we've had a long history of house-helps. I will be honest: without any one of these women, my life growing up would have been a lot harder.

I always took it for granted that there would be a maid to do the dishes, wash my clothes, chop up the vegetables for me to fry, etc, ad infinitum. That is, until I grew up and started noticing some things. The first time I found out how much our house-help was getting paid, I was saddened. Because what she earned in a month, I could at the time, spend in two days. I had just started working then, and now and then out of guilt, I would sneak a 500KSh note to Naomi. And even after the Kenyan government increased the minimum wage, our dear Naomi was still underpaid. Had she been asked why this was the case my mum, like any other respectable mother in Kenya, would have said that she was doing her best. That she could not afford to pay Naomi any more than she was doing. And this is a valid reason as any because, didn't I say mum has raised seven children? While I can not speak authoritatively for the whole of Kenya, I can write about what my experience and that of those around me. So yes, my mum paid Naomi (and now pays Ann) below the minimum wage. For the brief period that I lived alone in Kenya, I paid the lady who used to do my weekly cleaning below the minimum wage. That, I believe is the norm. I can confidently say that if I went to the streets of Nairobi today and did a random survey, 98% of the respondents would answer in the negative to the question of whether or not they pay their domestic workers above 6,299.75KSH ($79) a month.

Because things are not always black and white, I refuse to be simplistic and start arguing here that Kenyans pay their domestic workers (and this includes watchmen and shamba boys) below the minimum wage because they are a bunch of ignorant mean-spirited people. The reasons for this are many and they range from economic reasons to a lack of awareness on the law and the rights of domestic workers. But of course, there are those 'thousandnaires 'and millionaires who can comfortably afford to pay their help more but refuse to do so.

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But besides being guilty of underpaying, how else do we treat those who work hard day and night in our homes? Well, according to a research that was recently carried out by the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions and Allied Workers together with the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity, many of us exploit our domestic workers and 'treat them as slaves'. Earlier, when I was thinking of today's topic, I googled 'domestic workers in Kenya' and was pleasantly surprised to find that some research has been done on this issue. There seems to be a recurring theme in the few reports and articles I have perused: many maids in Kenya suffer abuse in the hands of their employers. From being physically abused, to being paid little or nothing at all (some people even pay their house-helps in kind i.e. give them clothing or food as 'pay'), Kenyan domestic workers go through a lot. It would be wrong, very wrong, not include to this list of wrongdoings those men who assume that relations of the bedroom kind are included in the maid's job description. Like this crazy fool on Mashada who talks of how it is "just too wonderful" to have sex with his house-help while his wife is in the house, then asks readers for "advice". One can only imagine what kind of "advice" he expects to be given by fellow Kenyans. Perhaps, tricks on how to have "just too wonderful" sex with the maid without being caught by the wife?

Anyway, that is a whole different story and maybe one of these days I will do a continuation of this post and blog on the baba watoto and hauzi issue. For now, my dear blogren, I will leave you with a few questions because I think the time is ripe for some introspection. Do you treat your domestic worker as well as you would like to be treated? Why are so many house-helps being mistreated? Don't Kenyans view house-work as 'work'? Are you, whether knowingly or unknowingly, directly or indirectly, involved in perpetuating the problem? Are you aware that domestic workers are recognised as employees by Kenyan law? Which in essence, implies that the Employment Act applies to them and they are entitled to annual leave, sick leave, maternity leave, etc just like me and you.

I think change, and even decency, comes from within. We cannot claim to be righteous wanainchi when we treat strangers with kid gloves only to degrade those who are in our homes. How can we claim to want positive change in our society if we, ourselves, are not part of this change? Go on, give your hauzi some love today!

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On a totally unrelated topic, can some Kenyan please jog my memory: what is the meaning of chapa ilale, and even more important, how do you use the phrase in a sentence?! A few examples would be nice! Cheers!