Lola(not real names) is one of a growing number of “sugar babies” — young women and students who date older, rich men, known as “sugar daddies”, in return for lavish gifts and allowances.
The University student told us she had been seeing the same sugar daddy for the past year after meeting through a popular WhatsApp forum.
Lola says it’s a mutually beneficial setup. “You wouldn’t be in it if you didn’t want something out of it, so you can’t complain about a guy wanting something, because you’re also wanting something,” she said.
“You have to give him the love or companionship, anything he’s after.”
According to a reliable source, sugar babies earn an average of 250k a week in allowances — and a growing number of university students are joined in.
The reliable source claims more than 1,000 “young, educated and broke” students are now “easing the burden with help from sugar daddies”.
Lola, who also has a part-time job, is paid a weekly allowance — not including gifts, dinners, flights and other luxuries. She estimates her sugar daddy has paid her more than 13m.
Lola said she started by seeing him twice a week and it’s gradually evolved to become more like a traditional relationship. But she says it took a “couple of months” before they had sex.
“We were messaging each other for three months until we actually met,” she said. “It was really nice because we got to know each other. We met up and connected straight away.
“We usually go out for dinner, he takes me out to social things for work, and yeah — just do normal relationship things that normal couples do.”
Lola says only a few of her close friends know — she was introduced to the platform by a friend — and “they think it’s cool”. Her parents only know she’s seeing an older man.
Do they think it’s inappropriate? “Of course,” she said.
“They know but they don’t know. They don’t really ask or like to talk about it. They just say, ‘Do you like him? Do you actually like him or are you doing this for money?’ But I think they just grew to understand.”
She argues it’s no different to being married. “If a wealthy married man wants to pamper his wife by paying her money or giving her gifts, I think that’s fine. It’s fine if both parties are OK with it.”
Asked how long she intends to keep seeing him, she said: “I don’t know. I mean, I really like him a lot. After graduating I don’t know what’s going to happen then.
“I really want to keep seeing him as much as I can.”
“Samantha”, a former sugar baby, called the vice “addictive”. “You have someone basically throwing money and materialistic things at you,” she said.
“Not so much me, but other girls — they like that. They like to be spoiled and taken care of.”
Samantha, who lives in a posh Bugolobi apartment, said while she never had sex with anyone from the platform, she still made about 5m just by meeting up with her two sugar daddies.
“I didn’t sleep with them. I made it very clear, I make my own rules,” she said.
“People who don’t know you just assume you’re a prostitute, you’re doing it because you’re a gold digger, but they don’t know me.”
But she said the majority of girls there were there for sex. “My friend did, that was the type of person she was. She wouldn’t admit it, but she liked being spoiled, everything paid for,” she said.
“You catch up with them, they might want someone for an event, that’s all you’re really doing to get payment, jewellery. Really, it is that easy.”
Sugar babies, are “attractive people looking for the finer things in life”. “They appreciate exotic treatment and gifts. Sugar babies get to experience a luxurious lifestyle, and meet wealthy people on a regular basis,” it says.
Sugar daddies, meanwhile, are “successful men and women who know what they want”. “They’re driven, and enjoy attractive company by their side. Money isn’t an issue, thus they are generous when it comes to supporting a sugar baby.”
Sugar babies are expected to keep the flings private as sugar daddies are often “respected community figures in high places that have other existing demands”.
“Revealing a sugar relationship could be harmful to their career and personal life,” prospective sugar babies are warned. “If you help your daddy maintain the fun, the rewards are great!”
When asked about which University holds the most sugar babies on the platform, Mubs was listed as the top on the list with others like UCU, KIU and MUK making the list.
