When Water Comes at a Cost Cecilia Ayot’s Fight Against Sextortion in Kenya

• Kenya is facing a deepening water crisis, with 15 million people lacking access to safe water and 37 million without proper sanitation. As droughts intensify, water scarcity is disproportionately affecting women and girls, who are often forced into dangerous situations just to secure this basic necessity.

  In this episode, we speak with Cecilia Achieng Ayot, a feminist activist and former member of the Nairobi County Assembly, who has dedicated her life to fighting against water cartels and the inhumane practice of sextortion—where women and girls are coerced into exchanging sex for water.

  Having experienced this reality firsthand growing up in Kibera, Cecilia shares her powerful journey from survival to activism, her fight to criminalize sextortion, and the ongoing struggle for women’s dignity and economic empowerment in Kenya. Her story is a testament to resilience and the urgent need for systemic change in the face of gendered violence and climate injustice.