These relationships are carried on without proper consideration [Photo: Shutterstock] This practice is rooted in other Sub-Saharan cultures as well. In South Africa, for instance, ‘blessers’, a connotation for sugar daddies is nothing short of an epidemic so much that it caught the attention of the country’s then-president, Jacob Zuma, who spoke out against them. Zuma’s concern springs from research findings that prove that the ‘blessers’ are an influential factor driving the transmission of HIV in South Africa. In Kenya, this is no different. In many cases, these relationships are carried on without proper consideration of the consequences. According to AVERT, an NGO dedicated to providing research information about HIV/Aids, the sugar-daddy trend predisposes young women to a substantially higher risk of contracting HIV. According to the National Aids Control Council (NACC), HIV prevalence for women in Kenya stands at seven per cent, as opposed to 4.7 percent for men. In 2015, NACC indicated that young people in the 15-24 age group contributed 51 percent of new adult HIV infections.