Looking for money is a common obsession among many Kenyans. Many would do anything — however undignifying it may be- to make an extra coin or make ends meet.

Taking advantage of this sad state of affairs, a landlord (name withheld) in Mbuni area in Homa Bay County suggested sex to a cash-strapped tenant as compensation that would see her three-months outstanding rent arrears of Sh9000 reduced.

Unfortunately for him, the proposal backfired, with the tenant, surnamed Akinyi, reporting him to police for attempted rape, after he tried to forcefully have his way with her.

The landlord, who is now being searched for by the police, is reported to have gotten carried away and attempted to raid the tenant’s cookie jar.

It all began early Wednesday last week when the landlord made an impromptu visit to the woman’s house, just after her husband who is notorious for defaulting on rent had left for work.

Noticing that she had panicked after he threatened to embarrass them with forceful eviction, the seemingly rogue landlord attempted to strike the strange deal with her.

Cat and mouse games

He told her that since her husband who is supposed to pay the rent had been playing cat and mouse games with him, it’s only her who would save the situation by paying in kind.

The landlord, who thought his was a deal too good to resist, could not believe when the tenant turned down his offer, whilst urging him to go to hell.

“Kwenda uko! Jiheshimu! Hata hauna aibu...” neighbours heard her shout, amid noisy commotion in the house. Upon going to check what was happening, they found the landlord wrestling the woman as he inappropriately touched her in a bid to forcefully bed her.

But when the landlord discovered he was going to be in a lot of trouble after neighbours arrived, he pretended that he was quarrelling the tenant over outstanding rent.

“Why have you guys refused to pay rent? We can’t continue operating like this,” yelled the landlord in Luo, adding: “You want to live in my house without paying? That is unacceptable!”

Asked why he was wresting her, he claimed he was trying to discipline her for insulting him. “This is how you thank a man who has allowed you to live in his house for three months without rent?”

The landlord went on to shout, creating the impression that it was a quarrel, even as the woman shouted that he wanted to rape her.

After neighbours intervened, the landlord went missing upon learning that she had reported him to the authorities. One of the enraged neighbours was overheard wishing he continues hiding for months so that they live in his houses without being nagged and harassed to pay rent.