A Kenyan Parliament member (MP) has been accused of raping a woman who worked for him. The news broke on Monday and a popular Kenyan radio host known as Churchill had questions.
The victim-blaming language in Churchill's question didn't sit well with Kenyans on Twitter. Their first reaction: Really?
Are you for real?? RT @MwalimChurchill #JustAsking....So, a MARRIED WOMAN agrees to meet a honorable MALE MP at 10:30 pm?... ALONE ...?
@MwalimChurchill is this question for real?
@MwalimChurchill for real? Just lost all the respect I had for you. Such a shame
Some fought the victim-blaming premise.
. @MwalimChurchill does that make it okay for the M.P to rape her? You should be ashamed.
@elvohh @Eunicekkilonzo @MwalimChurchill Does nite time make some one less human? If you can rape at nite, u can rape in the daytime too.
@mwalimchurchill Time does not make a leader to assault women.Even if it was 2Am, He should not have raped her, SAD!
@MwalimChurchill wld the qs change if she was a single woman? Is this a question u'd ask s'one who comes 2 u for help if they've been raped?
@MwalimChurchill So married women who meet honorable men after 9 PM should be raped?or what are you insinuating?
@MwalimChurchill Whether it was at midnight or 10am in the monring,the MP should not have assaulted the lady. That is the bottom line
Some sought to educate the host.
@mwalimchurchill such a careless statement
@MwalimChurchill This tweet bespeaks a #sexist attitude.It implies impropriety on the part of the lady!A rape allegation is a crime period!
@MwalimChurchill #JustAsking...... Are you sure that is the question you should be asking? Are you in anyway insinuating she's to blame?
Boss, you've crossed the line"@MwalimChurchill: #JustAsking....So, a MARRIED WOMAN agrees to meet a honorable MALE MP at 10:30 pm?... ALONE?
Churchill responded. He clarified his tweet — or he walked it back, depending on your perspective.
@Livelife120 If the MP Raped her, it is wrong wrong wrong, no argument about it
That MP tweet wasn't meant to condone or justify RAPE under any circumstances,but to initiate a conversation that CONDEMNS it-so let's talk!
He also blocked some of his critics.
can somebody take a screenshot on @MwalimChurchill timeline today for that tweet please. have been blocked.
He apologized to others.
I am truly sorry if that tweet rubbed you the wrong way- that was not the intention @loyugic @ThatWestNiler @Eunicekkilonzo
And he deleted the tweet.
Some wondered whether media sensationalism was a ratings strategy — and where the limits should be.
@Njokiwamai @MwalimChurchill disagree. Radio station knows exactly what they is doing here.
@MwalimChurchill wen u have ur planning meeting who says guys - this is too much, I can't live with myself peddling this madness?
Not everyone believed it was a misunderstanding, or that the apology for "rubbing [people] the wrong way" was enough. Others suspected it was outright disingenuous.
@MwalimChurchill your tweet was sent with complete disregard to the victim..Your apology...too little too late..."
@MwalimChurchill No. That MP tweet did justify and condone rape very clearly. have you deleted it?
And there were those who thought they got his meaning the first time.
A nice Qn which will get you scolded ''@MwalimChurchill So, a MARRIED WOMAN agrees to meet a honorable MALE MP at 10:30 pm?... ALONE ...?''
The Woman needs stoning, Unfaithful b**** "@MwalimChurchill: So, a MARRIED WOMAN agrees to meet a honorable MALE MP at 10:30 pm?... ALONE ?"
Even those who didn't question the apology had mixed reactions.
It's so easy to get misunderstood nowadays especially when all most people do is assume. cc @MwalimChurchill
@Deeakinyi @MwalimChurchill It's also very good for people not to joke around violence on women esp RAPE.
Churchill moved on.
#InOtherNews....
But the flare-up is the latest in a series of events that has Kenya confronting and debating women's rights.
A year ago, debate erupted after the Kenyan parliament passed a polygamy law. Last June, rural Kenyans took to the streets to demand justice for a 16-year-old gang-rape victim.
And in November, women in Nairobi organized a "mini-skirt rally" after a series of attacks on female bus customers who male co-passengers thought weren't "appropriately" dressed. They organized around the hashtag #MyDressMyChoice, which has outlived the rally — getting picked up, for example, by the World Bank — and even seems to have played a role in accountability for the alleged attacks by Kenyan prosecutors and courts.
#MyDressMyChoice: 48.2% of Kenyan women feared a household member could be sexually harassed: http://t.co/Bsw0Ume4IZ
But every time these stories hit big, there's a real and difficult debate, one that's really about women's agency and autonomy.
@Nicxso @MwalimChurchill The question is very valid btw... if she's married, where was the hubby? He ought to protect her.
@Deeakinyi @MwalimChurchill How do we know if the husband wasnt aware where she was?
@Nicxso @MwalimChurchill Someone who calls himself your husband. Should be aware of your where abouts.
You know, the same debate women's rights are subjected to all over the world.
