President Uhuru blocks Kenyans for asking wrong questions at #ChatwithUhuru
#ChatWithUhuru hashtag has trended since last evening, and this is because President Uhuru invited Kenyans to engage him on social media, particularly Facebook, over his Action Plan for more jobs and lower prices.
Join me live on my Facebook page at 9.30am tomorrow to ask me questions about my Action Plan for more jobs and lower prices #ChatWithUhuru pic.twitter.com/FzH7XDsEuq
— Uhuru Kenyatta (@UKenyatta) July 22, 2017
Although a number of Kenyans sent thousands of questions via Twitter through the #ChatWithUhuru hashtag, the real discussion happened live on Facebook through the Facebook Live feature. The Facebook engagement took about 45 minutes, but a 17 minutes version of the engagement has been saved in the official Facebook Page of President Uhuru Kenyatta.
From Facebook, President Uhuru was able to pick a select questions and responded to them. Most of those questions were mostly centered on Jobs and Security, especially security surrounding a peaceful general elections.
Even though the discussion also happened on Twitter, the President did not answer to any of those Twitter questions. Some of the top questions asked at Twitter included the following:
Dear mr president @UKenyatta as a graduate I have “tarmacked”.can’t access gvt jobs due to corruption.What’s your plan 4 me?#ChatwithUhuru
— Dan king (@officialDK7) July 22, 2017
1.Nurses are on Strike almost 50 days Now.
2.KNH is being overwhelmed with patients from allover Kenya@UKenyatta your say#chatwithuhuru— All kenya Nurses (@AllkenyaNurseS) July 22, 2017
#ChatWithUhuru kindly reduce retirement age so that young graduates can get jobs in gov’t. I wish you pay visit to most offices.wazee wengi
— Jeremiah Wanga (@WangaJeremiah) July 22, 2017
In addition to not answering any Twitter questions, President Uhuru took it upon himself to block some Kenyans who dared ask the wrong questions. One such Kenyan is Francis Gaitho.
Why have you blocked me yet my follower count is negligible? Am I at any risk? #ChatWithUhuru pic.twitter.com/sEzPZCXIXp
— Francis Gaitho (@Kenyafootball) July 23, 2017
The other person equally blocked is a Twitter user going by the name D of the Twitter handle @DeepUpKeep
Even I have been blocked! Now How can one #ChatwithUhuru ??! #nkt
Must be the work of the leader of those cabbage #36Bloggers@ukenyatta— D (@DeepUpkeep) July 23, 2017
Over at Facebook, Faith Mutembei, one of NASA bloggers, provided a hint to the type of questions that these Twitter users were saying. According to Ms. Mutembei, her friend was blocked for asking why President Uhuru intends to arrest Joho and Kingi but not Waiguru and Murkomen.
The act of blocking Kenyans on Twitter has normally been associated with Deputy President William Ruto. The fact that President Uhuru can dare block Kenyans for asking the wrong questions at this time of the campaigns, in my humble opinion, cannot work well for them.