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Cyberbullying affects even the strongest among us. Two Kenyan women leaders sound the alarm about their experience with cyber bullies, asking the Kenyan government to do something and hold bullies accountable.
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) nominated Senator Hezena Lemaletian, also known as Queen of The North, and former Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, shared their experience with The Africana Voice, and it’s not pretty.
Being a woman in the political space in Kenya needs you to be made of steel and be thick-skinned; as ODM-nominated Senator Hezena Lemaletian, also known as the Queen of The North, puts it otherwise, it’s very easy to be bullied into quitting.
The queen of the North, a woman of supermodel beauty, said her debut into national politics was more challenging than it seemed. She has faced accusations of using her beauty to gain favors from top politicians.
She pushed back hard at some disgusting attacks on Twitter and defended her honor.
“It is apparently very irritating to simple-minded people when women who look a certain way go into politics, I have been called names and even accused of getting my nomination through sex. I am a very disciplined lady who respects my body as the temple of the holy spirit,” Lemaletian told The Africana Voice.
The senator says most hateful tweets towards her are often sponsored by her opponents, who are threatened by her power as a young, ambitious woman.
Jesus is Alive Ministries (JIAM) founder and former Starehe Member of Parliament Bishop Margaret Wanjiru also told the Africana voices that she has experienced cyber-bullying throughout her political career, especially in a space where she is competing against men.
“I have experienced cyberbullying several times, which comes in various forms, the most notable one being insults which border on intimidation, blackmail, character assassination and tribalism. But the worst of it is that after the election period my Facebook page was hacked for two months,” Wanjiru said.
Wanjiru, who was vying for the position of Nairobi senator during the 2022 general election, wants the government to make cyberbullying illegal and take strict action against those who violate the law.
“First, the government should lobby for these social media companies to set up office in Kenya for quicker assistance. Cyberbullying should be made illegal and culprits dealt with in accordance with the law,” Wanjiru said.
Cyberbullying is a type of abuse that takes place online or through electronic means such as social media, messaging apps, emails, or online gaming platforms. It involves using digital technology to harass, intimidate, or harm someone intentionally.
Examples of cyberbullying include:
- Spreading rumors or false information about someone.
- Making derogatory or threatening comments.
- Posting embarrassing photos or videos.
- Excluding someone from online groups or conversations.
- Impersonating someone else online to damage their reputation.
In today’s world, cruelty and harassment are most likely to occur without any physical interactions, and the digital world has made it easy to get away with these kinds of crimes.
The constitution of Kenya does not have any stipulated laws against cyberbullying. According to Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Bill 2018, cyberbullying is punishable by a fine of up to Ksh 20 million or imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or both. Unfortunately, the provision of this law is vague and easily overlaps with the freedom of expression, which makes it very easy to challenge constitutionally.
According to a ranking by Internet World Stats(IWS), Kenya’s internet penetration stood at 87.2 percent by the year 2020, which shows that the majority of Kenyans are on social media, making them either victims or perpetrators of cyberbullying knowingly or unknowingly, this is because most of the trolling on social media often start as a joke between two people.
With over 200,000 followers, Kenyans on Twitter, popularly known as KOT, is an example of perhaps one of the most influential social media community for Kenyans who engage in viral activism to influence action and expose anything that negatively affects Kenyans online.
But there are times when messages on KOT have targeted people in manner that would be considered cyberbullying. Some view KOT as a cyberbully platform, but others see the community as a force of good that speaks truth to power by holding influential people accountable.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba a general in the Ugandan military and President Yoweri Museveni’s son, experienced KOT’s wrath after declaring through his Twitter account that he would invade Kenya.
KOT’s attack on Kainerugaba was validated by Kenya’s Defense Minister Aden Duale, who said the Kenyan government needed not respond to the threat, because KOT had already dealt with the matter.
But sometimes attacks on KOT have gotten to personal levels, especially with personalities from other countries, making some view KOT as a cyberbullying community.
In 2019, Kenya’s then-president, Uhuru Kenyatta, was forced to tune out social media due to what he termed as constant insults and name-calling that flooded his timeline despite being the most followed African leader on Twitter at the time.
International Women’s Day
Concerning International Women’s Day, The Echo Network Africa (ENA), an organization that works to propel women’s empowerment agenda, is running an anti-cyberbullying campaign this month. The campaign ‘StopCyberbulliesnow’ aims to create awareness of how women in the political space are affected by online harassment and promote women leaders’ online safety.
The organization awarded the council of governors chairperson Anne Waiguru the women leadership award for her role in championing women’s leadership and being a role model for women who want to take up leadership roles.
Waiguru, also the governor of Kirinyaga County, noted that cyberbullying has far more effects on a person than is often spoken about.
“From a true human perspective, the words cyberbullying do not come close to capturing the severity and lasting impacts for the victims and survivors or convey the links between online and offline experiences of violence,” Waiguru said while launching the cyberbullying campaign on 28th February 2023.
Women politicians in Kenya have been the worst victims of cyberbullying. According to ENA, during the 2022 electioneering period, some women were forced to withdraw their candidature because of online hostilities.
Some of the technology-assisted violence against women targeted at women politicians include public shaming, hate speech, online harassment, trolling, defamation, cyberstalking, identity theft, and hacking, amongst others.
Lemaletian has also called on the government to take strict action against cyberbullying culprits by strengthening the cyberbullying law to allow the court to jail online bullies.
“I consider cyberbullying and mudslinging as a thing of the weak, insecure people who try to project it to others either directly or through their amateur bloggers. I know certainly that not every other young girl or woman is strong enough to withstand it, and therefore, there is a need to ensure our laws against cyberbullying are revised and strengthened, we need to jail a few people for others to learn, people have committed suicide because of these kinds of bullying,” The Queen Of The North said.
Almost 70 percent of victims of cyberbullying don’t report it to authorities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Some of the effects of cyberbullying include humiliation, vulnerability, anger, suicide, and depression.
The Echo Network wants the law strengthened to include cyberbullying as a form of gender-based violence.
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