A video of grown-up men yelling in support of the wheelbarrow party as they are led by Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru while they are sitting down on the grass has angered many Kenyans.
Many are questioning the dignity of the boy child/men in a society that has been fighting for equal rights and respect for humanity. Some have been left wondering as to whether the governor could not afford decent seats for his supporters as they sat under trees.
“This is clearly a lack of respect on the part of the governor for the very people he expects to support her gubernatorial bid. Couldn’t she find an ideal place with comfortable seats?” Peter Kamunge asked.
In the video which was shared on social media on Friday, January28, the men are sitting on the ground as Waiguru chants UDA and they respond with the party’s slogan Kazi ni Kazi. Above all the men are seen sitting close together in opposition to the government’s directive on maintaining social distance.
After the video was posted on social media, various residents of Mt Kenya termed it as an abuse for the menfolk in the region. Others have ridiculed the men who attended the meeting saying the incident has confirmed women from central Kenya region take no hostages and suffer not fools.
Ambrose Njunge captured the incident on his Facebook page “Despite the campaign mood that has gripped our country we cannot throw our dignity through the window. A whole governor could not afford simple plastic chairs for his audience. What a shame,”
A keen look by News Today has, however, established that the video was si
mply made for passing on a campaign message ahead of Deputy President William Ruto’s visit to Kirinyaga County.
“We know the campaign madness is here once again but for men to stoop that low, is a clear demonstration of how the culture of handouts has lowered our dignity,” quipped Ann Njeri.
Since then, Kenyans on social media have been cracking jokes related to desperation that has gripped the region and the governor’s value for his residents.
“No wonder poor people are taken for granted immediately when politicians win an election. How can men of such an age be degraded to a level of beggars yet they are fathers in their families” Martha Nyambura chipped in.
While some said the clip is mere hot air, others said then residents should be given the benefit of doubt owing to the current harsh economic times and were hoping to get something in return for their unwavering support for the governor.
According to reports making rounds the group of men are said to be preparing the ground for the DP’s visit but the treatment they were given shows the disrespect politicians have towards the common man on the street.
The video elicited anger from Kenyans online with others lamenting that men are no longer at the top of the pecking order. The government has spent too much time empowering women, they say, and men are left on the sidelines.
“When you remember you have to go back home to your home in the evening yet your wife and children have watched you jump and down without regard to respect for your manhood?” Florence Kimutai observed.
