The High Court Of Twitter

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Unless you have been slaving in a mine I suspect you already know how my day was yesterday. Still, I can’t resist rehashing a rich story, can I? It’s funny, there are people who went home yesterday at the end of the day, kicked off their shoes and flopped on the sofa saying, “Oh Lord, did I have the ass end of this day or what!”

Uhm, you didn’t.

I did.

So yesterday, for some ironic reason I wore happy socks; striped blue and grey, nothing too crazy. Nothing you see on The Trend. I went to the gym at 6.30am and joined the aerobics class. We were only two men. (How is this relevant? It’s not). My body wasn’t just right. I suffered through the class, breathing through my mouth the whole time. That should have been the first sign that saitan was onto me. But did Chocolate Man take heed? Naah. I went to Java after, bought take away: granola with strawberries, hot lemon and ginger and mocha for Jen, our lovely and efficient office accountant. On my way to the office I listened to this guy called Ferre Gola (I highly doubt you know him), humming under my breath to a song I just discovered called “Andy Mputa.” My next life I might come back as a bleached out Congolese migrant who plays drums.

When I got to the office I was suddenly so lethargic and listless that I couldn’t bring myself to open a Word document. I chatted with Fred a bit while I chowed. I made calls standing at the balcony. I had a meeting with Alex from Moran Capital in the boardroom, went back to my desk, put on my headphones (to avoid Fred) and watched #MeanTweets by Obama on YouTube. (Another sign!). My body felt tired and worn and I wanted nothing but to curl under a duvet and suck my thumb to sleep. I edited the infamous post that was about to blow my day to Mogadishu, Whatsapped it to my social media guy, Fred (the world is full of Freds) and instructed him to upload it in an hour. (I used a smiley at the end of the message so that I don’t look bossy and insufferable).

Then I sat there and read Esquire magazine online. You know, killing time.

The post went up. There was calm. You know that deceptive calm before a storm? Ja! I started feeling kind of chilly so I went downstairs to the car to fetch my jacket but realised I had left the keys on my desk so I opted instead to sit and bask in the sun, my forehead absorbing copious amount of sunlight. All this while, unbeknownst to me, saitan had started a fire on Facebook and it had started burning and making its way towards where I was perched innocently in the sun like a tropical lizard, completely oblivious of the shit-storm coming my way.

And now it makes sense, why our mothers always told us to start our day with a prayer, because sometimes the devil comes in the form of a swarm of birds. Angry birds. Angry Larry birds.  

Then I got a call from, Dan, the chap who sells the blog. He said, “Boss, have you been on Facebook?”

I said, “No, why?”

“It’s going nuts”, he said. I thought, nuts is a good because I assumed it’s good nuts. Kumbe, it was bad nuts. Rotten nuts. Shit nuts.

I went on Facebook and there was a gentleman throwing stuff around, kicking doors, screaming, popping a vein. Melee. He was livid about the story I had just put up. My page was slowly coming to a boil. A heated debate was afoot with some saying it was a storm in a teacup while others said it was unethical and wrong and irresponsible.

I didn’t think it would go gaga because I’m the great grandson of a staunch SDA “founder” in my village, surely the good Lord must always be in my corner, right? So I got off social media, stretched my legs before me, leaned my head on the wall closed my eyes and felt the sun curl in my nose like a smoker’s trick.

Meanwhile Lucifer is throwing more wood in the fire, stoking it. The fire is getting bigger and angrier and suddenly I start getting all manner of phone calls from people. One said, “Biko, what have you done to your usual lynch squad of Twitter?” and I’m like Why? And he says, “They are saying you are a condoning rape.” And I’m like, “Excuse me, what!?”

Then the bottom fell.

Here are two truisms. One: a day doesn’t have 24-hours. Two: you can never predict how your day will go. You make plans in your little planner, you write To-Do notes on your phone, you pack your lunch and a fruit and you plan to go out and seize the day but you never know how fast your day can quickly turn on its head. You have absolutely no control of anything actually. Mine went apeshit from 0 to about 200, 000 in a blink. I leave my desk for a minute to go bask in the sun and when I go back, the devil is seated at my desk with that devilish grin. Gotcha!

So first, they called me shit. They didn’t say I’m the shit, they said I’m shit. Someone called me a penguin which I suppose is more of an insult to penguins than me. Then the lynching commenced in earnest and it happened so fast I had no time to comprehend where the bleeding was happening to plug it. When they lynch you on Twitter, they tie you to a tree with your hands on your back. Then they whip you and spit on you and they shout in your face and they call these dreadful names. And it stings. Let no one tell you that they have thick skin, let nobody lie to you that if you are in the eye of the storm and a whole legion of people are lashing at you that it’s water off a duck’s back. It isn’t. It stings. It stings when you “know” some of those people in the lynch squad spewing vitriol and hate.

Even even before things went tits up, Wallace Kantai (bless you) was the first person to flag it for me immediately, imploring me to make a decision about it and make it fast because it was about to go south quickly. I consulted more people who are wiser and smarter than me and had some conversations with some other people and I had Fred pull it down. Then I spread butter on my humble pie and wrote an apology.

But twitter was already inconsolably furious, a furious ball of fire rolling down the hill. It spat anger and vile. How about that for happy socks, Chocolate Man?!

Someone Tweeted, “Going by his bio, Biko must have been thinking with his fingers.” (Good one). There weren’t a shortage of people who defended me. When someone called @Missgachie said, “He has apologised already, can we move on?”, a scruffy-looking man with an old coat that smelled of garlic roughly pushed through the crowd, knocked her down and stepped on her neck. There was this one guy, I will not forget him, @MusyokaLuis who kept defending me and they kept trying to put a pot over his head to gag him and he kept shouting, “What has he done! What has he done to make you spit on him!”

Oh, do you still think you had a bad day yesterday?

In case you are wondering what I did. I made some foolish decisions, put up a sensitive interview I had done, one that I didn’t have to run. My heart was in a good place, though.

It wasn’t all gloom, though.There were moments of hilarity. There was a chap @neuro_words who tweeted, “Biko ni ule boy anakaa Blueband na hucheza rugby.” (Mimi sio boy, Mimi ni baba ya watu) Or someone who said, Biko deleted the post and @THEOgada tweeted in reply, “I hope that Biko extinguished that weed he was smoking while at it.” (Booo! Party pooper!) Do you know the most profound tweet that I saw yesterday during this furor? It’s by some chap who tweeted, “Steve Biko once said, “Black Man, you are on your own.” How true. Because essentially we are all on our own.

I wasn’t surprised when I started trending at number one on Twitter. I have never trended at number one on Twitter. It was new to me, like a new house. I didn’t know where to place my gratitude. You don’t know how it feels like to trend at number one on Twitter. It’s like being on plane at 12,000 ft. just before you are pushed off without a parachute.

They say that when you are driving on a slippery muddy path and the car starts sliding, you should turn the wheel into the skid, never away from it. So I didn’t stick my head in the sand, I didn’t lock myself away from the fire, I went to Twitter and Facebook and read all those insult and took it in all in. At some point I had taken so much beating that there was possibly nothing anyone was going to say that was going to shock me. I wasn’t going to bleed anymore. I was leaning into the skid. And it stung like a bitch. You know what really surprised me the most; that amidst the insults nobody even mentioned nasty things about my forehead, a testimony that amidst man’s great vengeance sometimes lie a grain of leniency.

By lunch hour I could barely breath, my mouth was dry and my nose bled and my ribs hurt and they jeered at me tied there to a tree.  I had a lunch meet up with a friend I had forgotten about and quite frankly wasn’t going to honour. She called asking, “Biko are we still doing lunch” and I said ( sulkily), “I’m not hungry”. She said, “Nonsense,” so she brought lunch and I wore my dark shades, a hat and long overcoat and I furtively came out of the office and ate the meal in her car.

Majani of Ghafla Whatsapped me and wrote, “Leo ni siku yako [smiley face]” and I wrote back, “Majani are you going to have your people write: You won’t believe the evil that lives in Bikozulu. Click here for more gory details!” And he sent a smiley and wrote, “Gicheru [Techweez] beat me to it.” I wrote back, “Oooh poor Majani.” I remember putting on my headphones and listening to “Still D.R.E” by Dr Dre at such loud decibels I’m surprised I can still hear shit.

A few gracious people called to say, chin up. Mutoko, who must know how it feels like to be tied to the big twitter tree called and said, “Keep it together, stay upright. It shall pass.” Mark Kaigwa sent me a powerful email on the art of apology which I can share with all husbands if you guys are interested. Scores of acquaintances Whatsapped to check if I was still standing and I’m sure when they saw blue ticks they were surprised I was still alive. None of my siblings checked up on me which is cool because when I win a Pulitzer I will say I was the only child during my acceptance speech. I will disown each one of those traitors. You wait.

Twitter is a cesspool of anger, brimstone, wrath, unforgiveness and bile, vendetta, vengeance and naked rage. Twitter bites chunks of your flesh and spits it in the furious fire. Then it bites again. And it’s unforgiving, sweeping hastily causing you as much damage as it can inflict even when you are on your knees. No rules apply, no mercy allows. Twitter is inhabited by puritans, people who never make mistakes, who walk in a path paved with good decisions and stones made from piousness. The verdict on Twitter is swift and its uncontested.  And twitter keeps pounding you on the head savagely with its bare fist and by 3pm they had beaten me into a bloody pulp and I was curled in a corner in fetal position, bleeding from any hole made by God and some made by man. I remember telling Fred my partner (who by the way just sat there drinking juice while I was being lynched nkt) that this was like drowning, the more you fight the worse it gets, so you let go, you take it and you sink down, down, down,  until you hit the very bottom then you wait to rise again. Because you have to. I told him that I knew one day I would be crucified; the question wasn’t even if, it was when. The good comes with the bad. I wasn’t sure in what form it would come, but it was coming. I felt it under my feet, a little tremor from afar. I just didn’t think it would come on the day I was wearing my happy socks.

But you can’t feel sorry for yourself for too long, so you have to learn quickly and move quickly. You learn, first, that twitter is nobody’s mother as our politicians would profess. That it has no loyalties or allegiances. That it’s like a petulant teenager with its swinging moods and outbursts and you never can quite read it adequately. You also learn that you can take in so much. Much more than you imagined.  That you can bend and bend and just when you are thinking you can’t possibly bend anymore, you bend again. You learn about the ugliness of jealousy and spite and how shockingly ghastly they are when you see them in the words of someone you thought was in your corner.

You also learn that there are very gracious and kind people out there, strangers who reach out in inboxes and say, chin up, this is not even about you, we know you meant well. And words from complete strangers somehow mean a whole lot more.

Last night as I showered blood flowed to my feet as i scrubbed the dried blood off my scalp, then I went to bed, I checked twitter one last time and I wasn’t Trending anymore which was both sad and relieving. (Villainy is addictive). I thought I’d wake up in the middle of the night with a start and find lots and lots of birds in my room. Birds on my bedside table. Birds on my lampshade. Birds in my wardrobe. Birds on my shoes and on my curtain box. Birds on the floor. I thought I’d find so many birds in my room because I thought that’s what you dream of when you have been lynched on Twitter, you dream of those twitter birds. Instead I slept like a baby.

At around 2pm yesterday when Twitter was incinerating me and Fred was watching me closely, because, I don’t know, maybe he thought I’d jump of the balcony (first floor, really!) He kept asking me if I was really fine and I remember telling him, “Everybody has a tough day in the office, today is mine. I made a mistake, a wrong judgement call which I fixed and I’m sorry about it.  I’m not a bad person. That won’t change if I trended on Twitter for two weeks.”

And – with a bloodied nose – I hang onto that little shred of dignity throughout the day. It’s the one thing nobody can take away from me, least of all a blue Larry  bird.

Do you know the most amazing thing? That if God allows, the sun always rises the next day, always! And regardless how your day ended the previous day, you have to rise with it and do better and be better. You chin up and you keep walking. You always keep walking.

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387 Comments
  1. Totally agree with these “Here are two truisms. One: a day doesn’t have 24-hours. Two: you can never predict how your day will go.” www.shesatomboy.net

    1. I have to admit being miffed when people link their blogs to the comments sections here, but I decided to take a look at your blog and boy am I glad I did! That piece on musings in a matatu was amazing. You have a heart of gold, ubarikiwe hadi Ushangae

  2. I still faill to understand what the noise was about,i read the article,am a woman,i did not find it offensive,oh well,chin up Biko!

    1. I read the article too and could not find anything worth lynching someone for.
      What I know for sure is that we missed an opportunity to have a real converstion on the subject matter,sad.

      1. I still cannot understand what the uproar was all about.The article was just sad but we were all raised and think differently.Kenyans are just hypocritical moral watchers.

        1. The story itself was sad and Biko’s intention was to reward the lady. Only that it didn’t rub well with the alcohol thing. It was a serious sensitive story made very light by the alcohol branding.. which went ‘eeeeh’ And that did not resonate well with many. But Biko had good intntions deep down. He was in the spirit of uplifting. Keep walking Biko

    2. What you may be missing is that a section of twitter is like an echo chamber, if you post anything that is remotely against the herd’s mentality you are immediately up for lynching. This is the second time it is happening to Biko on twitter that I can remember, it has also happened to countless other people.
      To confirm that it is an echo chamber, it is always the same character & their inner circle that is always “stirring the pot”

    3. I read the article too. I did not understand the hullabaloo. But oh well Twitter knows. Biko, chin up. This too shall pass

      1. But honestly Biko, Whatever happened to Free Speech? Why did you let others trample your rights underfoot??
        Folks just caught some very many loaded but exceedingly USELESS feelings about your post for no reason!! Worse still is how you let them bully you into submission and you capitulated to their demands.
        When you start to allow this sort of censorship , it very rapidly snowballs to be a monster and Political Correctness takes root, As a journalist ,you should fight against it.

    4. Read it too. My conclusion is some Kenyans LOVE drama especially when it’s in their neighbor’s backyard. It’s their chance to watch.Chin up man.

      1
    1. Totally agree! After following you for a while now, I am confident your heart is always in the right place. Keep it up Biko…You’re the brightest star in my internet sky:-)

  3. I read that post and I thought to myself that’s one heartfelt interview. It gave me a lot to ponder. Relax it happens to the best of us. Hope you win the Pulitzer…eventually. greetings from the Kingdom of Bahrain.

  4. I read the post on Facebook and i empathised with the lady. I know your heart was in the right place Biko..keep walking!

  5. I think social media has brought out the ugliness of not being able to just speak your mind without someone being “offended”. What happened to freedom of speech and having YOUR SAY. At some point I wondered why all the anger. Was it because she was still friends with the men? Was it because Biko put it up. Was it because it went against so many people’s idea of what is right and morally acceptable? I think it was brave of her to say what she said because I was knew her and I was taken aback. I think it was brave of Biko to write about it and show a different spectrum of the whole situation. People, and especially those on twitter need to take a chill pill and stop being so bloody offended by everything and anything! That said…I guess surviving a roast on Twitter deserves a hand clap nose to the floor curtsy! Life is getting more brutal and Twitter is a double edged sword

    1. i think twitter is shit.its for the holier than thous.judges and demigods who think they are perfect.and who really knows what is morally acceptable nowadays?was what those people on twitter do jana morally acceptable?one wonders.this world is just full of pretentious self righteous humans

    2. Till now I can’t actually understand what exactly infuriated people. Wasn’t that story an opening to any well meaning person to reach out to her. Biko offered the platform, we Lynch him for it.

      1. You summed it all, am still searching the part that hurt in that post, was it the forgiving bit? was it her keeping walking? …surely, no one can ever satisfy humans

    3. exactly my point!!!it was sad she blamed herself but why people were angry I have no idea!!!he brought out topics that society would rather not acknowledge.Now we back to square one.pretend the girl’s story never existed and pretend someone out there is not trying to survive in this crazy world as normal as possible through all the hurdles she has been through.Well done twitter.

    4. The problem is that the “woke” crew & the others who consider themselves to be the apex of ‘progressive values’ can only allow a narrative that fits a narrow criteria. I find this entirely ironic because the progressives are allegedly more tolerant of contrary opinions.

  6. You never choose how your day goes. Just the fact of knowing you are being crucified is enough to kill you. You didn’t need to jump off a building. On first floor precisely.
    You’ve never given your gang or people out there reason to see how a bad person you are. Yesterday was a mistake. And people forget we are imperfect. Glad you learnt how to chin up amidst the storm. Better day ahead Biko

  7. You know Biko it is better to be arrested by Kanjo people even if they kick you balls than cross those entitled middle class Woke twitter and twitter A people. They’ll beat you up, take screenshots (I have screenshots of your post because someone thought I should see the dreadful thing my Biko wrote!) of your pulp and wait a year later and use them to jeer at you. Heartless folks. But I guess it shook the shit out of you and now here we are with a story i consider the best i’ve read in a while. And now we keep writing. We keep walking.

    1. Wesh don’t forward it, hii story imedie hivyo. Sincerly, a proudly rabid Biko fan. Yaani though, We missed out on having an honest and helpful discussion on rape culture so we could remain comfortably seated on our high horses. No wonder trump is winning

  8. I read through the vitriol and i was amazed at how people can get nasty because of something they have such little understanding of. It happens.. Even with happy socks. The good thing about all this and life is that now #USADecides is trending. People have got over that small miscalculation. Life continues Biko… The sun rises with new beginnings. Did you remember to suck your thumb to sleep?

  9. I wonder what happened to the real story you had planned for today, because clearly this was not today’s story hehehe. I hope we get to read it soon. But honestly Chocolate man, you are just human to the world, but our supper human to le gang! Salute.

  10. So I missed the post, but I get the picture. ..yesterday was a Monday from Venus, got “airlifted” by county council officers.

  11. Social media is veeeeeery unforgiving!I don’t know what you posted but you will experience this a lot of times.At least you are brave enough to speak your mind.

  12. if God allows, the sun always rises the next day, always! And regardless how your day ended the previous day, you have to rise with it and do better and be better. You chin up and you keep walking. You always keep walking.This statement gives hope to me, it’s not all gloom,the sun will always come up.

  13. We do all have bad days. You are an amazing writer and we come here to read your stories knowing you will not disappoint and you never do. We are still here reading.

  14. I thought guys were causing a nasty storm.in a teacup. I mean the lady consented to sharing her story. That’s what’s important. I for one I’m glad you posted it. It was hard to digest but it is HER story gaddamit!!
    Biko, it’s a new day. Keep on doing you. Love from the gang.

  15. I liked the ‘story!’ As much as the product placement wasn’t politically correct, the subject matter was quite incisive

  16. Ahh Biko, pole sana. The alleged wisest man in the Bible says “This too shall pass”.
    Ohh, and thanks for the song, It’s Andy Mouth, I played it while reading. Mputa sounds
    like something else Twitter can lunch for. Such idlers

  17. Good read. Am happy you rose above it Biko. I still think it was a good story, its sad how the society embraces holier than thou attitude instead of dealing with social injustices head on. Thumbs Up Biko!!! i felt the fire on your behalf man(chuckles)!!!

  18. Pole Steve Biko for your shitty day, I did not read the article, happily was not on twitter yesterday so had no clue about your crucifixion.
    However the beauty of social media is its addicts have the attention span of a …………. therefore they are already “on to the next one” and you will heal.
    Pole sana again.

  19. I wanted to call you and console you but I when I read that tweet, Blackman you are alone, I decided no because when I have a bad day I don’t take calls. I remind myself I am alone. Today the sun rose and tomorrow it will. Si we can now move on and have that drink?

  20. I totally agree with you Biko…Twitter/facebook is a cesspool of anger..and we are a very angry people just waiting for a trigger. From what I saw/read yesterday from people, I think before we type our thoughts, we first need to look deep inside ourselves and ask if we are being really objective or simply deflecting our deep set anger in our own lives. I am glad you are having a better day….with every new day comes new strength. Keep walking chocolate man.

  21. “And regardless how your day ended the previous day, you have to rise with it and do better and be better. You chin up and you keep walking. You always keep walking.” Oh yes Biko. That is all that matters.

  22. I think you worry too much..I always say in the social media streets, somebody is always bound yo get hurt, whether you mean well or not.Somebody is always going to be offended.

  23. Still think it was a storm in a tea cup….yes chin up.. They may lynch you but cant take away the wit from your posts.. Good or b
    ad.

  24. On a lighter note, i am expecting you to now run for a political office! The storm you whipped up yesterday condensed into a cloud pregnant with potential votes! Go Biko!

  25. When God punches your ticket he does so with authority. The sun rises for the bad and the good equally; the lynched and the Lynchers..

  26. Indeed man is to err. Accepting, offering an apology and moving on is the honorable thing to do.
    PS: I saw what you did here “You chin up and you keep walking. You always keep walking.” LOL

  27. Nothing will make you feel better except doing the work….and you did go on with your work right after the apology and this great piece. Chin up, don’t you ever lose the enthusiasm.

  28. pole Sana chocolate man, yesterday was not a good day for rational people too.
    one the chicks who went ham on you almost lynched me for sticking up for you.
    I must say the bidii at which she went after you was shocking because I worked with this girl a while back and she was LAZY as fuck,
    shocking because I assumed she was lazy at everything except it turns out at clapping back and insulting strangers.
    I hope you run a series like that on a different platform ,It was eye opening.
    Someone one also called you a dangerous man,of all the insults this was the most amusing 🙂
    sending love+ prayers your way.

  29. I missed the lynching chocolate man. Sorry for the insults…. We fail to learn and above all their words may not define who you are

    1. Aren’t you the one who is always quoting what Mr. Kisu (Pala) told you at the beginning, don’t believe in your own hype. The twiterrati are the ones who made you a hero with Jadudi and they are the same peeps throwing you under the bus. It is what it is and indeed you take the good with the bad…

      1. They also threw him under the bus on the same Jadudi story because in a future recollection he allegedly “erased” the contribution of a certain Zawadi. The same group that was leading the mob spearheaded the lynching back then

  30. I was at work, quickly read your post on Instagram and switched of the internent mpaka 1hr ago.

    So you ended up, fair dinkum, in shit creek without a paddle because of that post? Then Twitter ninjas walikufunua mbata kadhaa ukiwa chini wakakutia buti za mbavu thoroughly?! Pole sana mse.

    Now what was wrong with that post anyway…

  31. And you wake up tomorrow and walk some more… You keep walking.
    And Biko, stop apologizing for being an authentic writer! The world is full of people who have nothing better to do than rain on other people’s parade.

    They rained on yours yesterday, tomorrow it’ll be me. That never stopped the Sun from shinning.

  32. Soo our 4hour board meeting made me miss this post, I would want to read it then defend you. I just saw the apology. Aaaagggh

  33. Pole Biko jana you were crucified for real just like Jesus with a multitude of self righteous humans who see no wrong,do no wrong and say no wrong. people who hide their own demons and only want to hear sugar coated truths to avoid hurt. i salute you Biko and i salute Enid for the courage to face her demons and challenge them and move on not allowing such circumstances to break/define her as she faces life with such positivity is commendable.

  34. I read the post and had mixed feelings. I think the girl in the story needs help, bipolar is a condition most of us do not understand and for some reason I think she needed to let it out for her to get inner peace. Maybe from people’s comments she learnt that she shouldn’t blame herself for whatever misfortunes she went through. Chin up Biko, it will all pass, we all have at one point made a wrong call.

  35. Soo our 4hour board meeting made me miss this post, I would want to read it then defend you. I just saw the apology and was there asking myself. What did He do???? . Aaaagggh

  36. So, I read this story and thought, wow! I admire this girl. She demonstrates what forgiveness is. She has less baggage in her life than most of us, because she chose to move on after her misfortune. So who are we to condemn her coz she chose to remain friends with those men? Is there a rule on what wrongs we can forgive and which wrongs we cannot forgive? I agree with you Biko when you say that “Twitter is a cesspool of anger, brimstone, wrath, unforgiveness and bile, vendetta, vengeance and naked rage.” And the best part is your intentions were right when you put up that post. I am concerned about that lady though. I hope this does not drag her to a dark place. May she know it’s not all who judge or condemn her, that she has inspired many – just for having the courage to tell her story, and demonstrate forgiveness where it’s least expected. Chin up and keep walking Chocolate man. Keep walking!

  37. Dude you are the one who brought us this rain huh? Congrats.
    Now am curious to know what cut jana. Sadly am not so much on social media. Since am among the few who ever called brother Ochola am sure I’d have called you too.
    Keep calm as an Adventist or former always know God is in control. Lean on Him continually.
    After every dark cloud there is a silver lining.

  38. Online Outrage is the new fetish. It is hard to miss a certain joy in this ritual, stylized witch hunting, a lust for being offended, never feeling so alive as when finding something “problematic.” They compete to see who is more brutal/insensitive in the condemnation and the more campfires you start, the more “woke” you are. This is done for nothing other than self affirmation. “It’s not progress, it’s religion”
    https://www.google.com/amp/amp.timeinc.net/time/4456515/ellen-degeneres-is-not-racist/?client=ms-unknown

  39. Biko, this caught me;
    “…..so you let go, you take it and you sink down, down, down, until you hit the very bottom then you wait to rise again..”
    His mercies are new every morning. Rise again! Jana is gone!Learn from jana. Leo it can be anyone.

  40. I still I do not know WHO/WHAT the Twiterrati were mad at. Johnnie Walker, Bikozulu the blog, the rapists or the Victim? If you were to remove JW and the blog from this whole fiasco,guess what, there is STILL a story, a sad one. If i’m not wrong, Biko pulled down his post but the lady uploaded it on her personal blog. She said she is going to therapy and unless these Twitter guys double up as therapists(oh wait, they are jack of all trades)they shouldn’t judge how one chooses to deal. What happened to her is sad but it doesn’t change the fact that it happened. She chose to speak about it the best way SHE knows how. Perhaps it is helping her deal. It may be 2016 but there is no set script of overcoming such an ordeal. I wish that anger was directed at the perpetrators because from where I’m sitting, it appears people were mad at how the lady dealt/is dealing her ordeal.

  41. It’s unfortunate the real message was overlooked.I thought it had to do with mental health and the venerability of those who suffer with it.Clearly some of your audience are not there yet…. A wasted chance to explore mental health issues.As for Biko a thicker skin for when they bite.Stand firm in what you are for

  42. I thought the story gave a different perspective of how people with mental illness deal with their everyday struggles (funny nobody mentioned her 3 suicide attempts). social media has made our lives “perfect”. we should all abide by the “perfect society” rules.

  43. The self-righteousness on social media suffocates! But they cannot ‘keep a good writer down ‘. Keep walking Biko . Keep writing.

  44. Wow, my day wasn’t very nice either. I admire how you handled everything and of course you are a wonderful. I’m still a big fan and loyal to the core.

  45. Funny thing is today morning on my way to work I actually came thinking about yesterday’s post and it never crossed my mind that Biko was promoting rape but rather that this young lady needs more help to stop making herself the perpetrator but as a victim.She needs to stop making excuses for this men and understand that they had no right whatsoever to force themselves on her.If anything that post highlights rape in a way that is very realistic.That rape doesn’t happen in a dark alley only but even with people you once called friends.

    1. That’s what I thought. Felt that the lady should let the guys know what they did is wrong and it has scarred her in more ways than one. Shoving it under the rug and pretending these rapists are her friends is not okay. When perpetrators get away with such crimes, in no time, they’ll be preparing to victimize other ladies.

  46. Sometimes, we all make bad decisions, and when we do, it’s only wise to recognize it and change them for the better. For the Twitter naysayers, I’m sorry for them ‘judges’ as their day is also coming!
    Otherwise, get up, dust yourself off and keep walKING Biko! We keep walking… We always do!

  47. I always pray for you Biko… You were going to face this sooner or later because everyone has both good and bad days. Don’t let this incident box you just learn from your mistake and never look back!

  48. I saw the first stone being thrown on the FB streets, I did the honorble thing, turned around and found another street to walk on. Thanks for sharing this, it’s good to know that you can survive once a twitter storm hits you; and it will one day for sure.

  49. It was much ado about nothing!!! same people who crucified you might never stand up for a victim in real life!!,
    That is what you get from a people who only skim through an article….i felt your pain,life can really throw you lemons at times!jikaze brother

  50. Pole Biko, you decided to take on painful, tough life stories; read the worst day life has served a human being. Yesterday the gods just gave you deep insight on part of the pain behind these stories. Thank you for honouring these survivors on this platform.

  51. One thing that shocked me as I read all those tweets was the extreme anger in some people I thought were your ‘friends’, People way back from High school (The Stories We Could Tell With Our Eyes Closed). The abusive language.
    Seemed personal to me. Like all along they’d been waiting for this chance to lash out at you. To pull you down from that pedestal you think you are standing on.
    And I’m still shocked.

    1. Huh,most digressed and made it an attack on him, which was very sad. Anyway he’s pulled through and by God’s grace will keep walking.

  52. None of my siblings checked up on me which is cool because when I win
    a Pulitzer i will say i was the only child during my acceptance speech.Hahaha,,,awesome read..
    What doesn’t kill makes you stronger,keep walking

  53. Thank God chocolate man is still breathing. You tried wearing Waiguru’s shoes. Day in day out twitter is bailing for blood. The pple she once called friends are now hanging her out dry.

  54. I read the post Jana and meant to respond. People talking about Biko condoning rape culture forget ‘culture’ is not a one man thing. You and I make a culture. He wrote her story. Her truth and while it was sad, it shows the dark side of how survivors of rape can be ‘cultured’ to think it’s their fault. Biko perhaps shouldn’t have posted it, or maybe he should have. Once that record is played you can’t rewind. that’s a fact but you and I should do our best to make sure we aren’t breeding, socializing and tolerating people who rape or who can rape amongst us. Biko you need more women in that your office, someone to tell you when the goose is fried or when to throw away the bath water.

  55. “You know what really surprised me the most; that amidst the insults nobody even mentioned nasty things about my forehead, a testimony that amidst man’s great vengeance sometimes lie a grain of leniency.”…hahahaha…Thought by now you have crocodile skin Biko.
    People should learn that there’s a difference between the message and the messenger. KOT muddled everything up with at first glance.
    KOT are only awesome when some random country is hating on us, every problem or differences within the country are forgotten then…the cyber mchongwano metted out normally sees the other retreat with their tail between their legs.
    However…you do not want to be the recipient of KOT’s wrath. They can be vicious and a wee bit anal…utterly deaf to any voice of reason.
    Double edged sword this one is..

    1. I was pretty much surprised when i came back to check the post and found it deleted and an apology in its place.Neither the messenger nor the source of the mesaage deserved to be lynched. A whole world of holier-than-thou mob out there.

  56. welcome back
    usijali on the twits and twats!
    Life is what we make it, how we choose and embrace one day at time.

  57. Yea the sun always rises the next day…always and im sure you learnt something and so did a lot of other people. Keep writing…with your head up

  58. The twitter babes and those other moral high priests set the standards on what should (not) be said. To bash you like they did, even after pulling it down and apologizing, just shows how clean they think they are. Having a contrary opinion shouldn‘t necessarily be expressed negatively. The storm is over lakini

  59. I remember seeing #Trashistrash on twitter. Then someone said ‘ A whole Biko Zulu upholding rape? ‘ Then I thought to myself what the hell is wrong with humanity? we are so bitter and ready to spit venom any time. I personally didn’t see anything wrong with your post at all. It was not offensive at all. I wonder if they would have reacted the same way if you didn’t have the JW brand along the story. It was a story of triumph by Enid. she wanted her story to be told in her own words. she owns it. Biko next time don’t bring down a post. Let people talk. KOT always yap about everything. They are financial experts, Euro bond experts, political commentators , weather analysts among others. They know it all.

    1. My thoughts too. He shouldn’t have brought it down, maybe done a follow up explaining why these stories have to be told. Nobody did anything to help the girl in their tweets, just trash talking

    2. Its about overly righteous peeps pointing out a specks in other people’s eyes forgetting the logs in theirs. I too never saw the harm.

  60. Chin up chocolate man, I didn’t get to read
    the post, so can’t relate with KOT or
    the other SM lynching, no matter what the
    sun will always rise in the morning even
    after what you deem your worst day on earth.
    Keep your head up -Tupac

  61. Tell me about it Biko. I saw it all when The High Court of Twitter decided to rule on my Orange saga. It’s just Twitter. None of those mean people feed or help you poop.
    http://www.extralaudinary.com/2552-2/

  62. Did you see twitter discussing penguins for 3 days and even calling the female penguin names? That says a lot. Don’t take twitter too serious.Personally I could not believe that people were that offended about that article. The happy socks are somewhere in a trash can,no?

  63. Biko
    First, I didn’t think the post was offending, you were only sharing someone’s story-How that turned out to be that you are cordoning rape astonished me
    2. I keep off posting anything on social media-I only read but never post;Of course part from your blog and a few forums

  64. people areb different, with different understanding. i read the article and frankly i wasnt pleased.
    but people learn…even pro’s learn at some point.
    btw most of those who threw missiles of insults, never really read the thing.
    #StillTeamBiko

  65. Biko your friend’s dream of you dead was actually a foreshadow. You fell of a tree? Ahaa. There you go. All in all i was behind you, there is no mess that will ever end our relationship. I love you.

  66. I made a mistake, a wrong judgment call…
    What mistake did you make? (confused) How is sharing someone’s truth a mistake?

  67. And the core issue here that was being passed across is lost amid the twitter lynching , seriously people need to get educated on bipolar , rape, we need to face hard things head on not hiding behind pc bullshit, na watu wengine they need their twitter taken away for a while so that they can calm the fuck down ala the donald

  68. Keep walking, keep writing! Indeed if God allows, the sun always rises the nest day and regardless of how your day ended the previous day, you have to rise with it and do better and be better, HERE you are are , being awesome as usual and being the chocolate man we know.

  69. I unfortunately did not read that article but I am almost sure it wasn’t that bad because Biko is not bad at all! Of all the articles I have ever read from you, this one is the best, you really made me laugh. I hope you were able to cheer yourself up with this too. Oh, just in case you disown those traitor siblings of yours, am looking to find a brother….

  70. People do like sitting on their high horses judging others. I can only imagine how horrid you felt. As I red peoples comments I felt like telling each of them to go hang. Don’t worry… C’est lavie. The sun has risen and today is a new day. Learn the lesson from this and Keep writing the amazing articles you do. I remain an ardent fan no matter what 🙂 #TeamBiko

  71. My boss once told me ” Wanadamu walishinda Mungu, wewe ndio utawaweza?”
    Believe you me, it is not about what you wrote, even if you were just to say “My name is Biko. My forehead today hurts.” They would still find a way to negate the sentences, abuse and lynch you. So, relax, the sun is still shining, you are in one piece, stand tall.

  72. Well written Biko and I’m sorry about your tribulations on twitter yesterday. Didn’t come across them and as you said i was slaving in a mine…
    Anyway lasts for a day and is soon over. Keep walking and writing.

  73. Lol…i missed the roasting on twitter, but i left my thoughts on the IG post…i dont think you deserved all that stick…but at least two things have come out of it, you are much wiser now and two…you are still alive.

  74. So it had to reach your desk in order that we get such fine writing? Let me log into twitter and see what it was. Great stuff always.

  75. Not the last time. Purists in the ‘high court’ will always get a point to quarrel with, for the rest, let’s enjoy the posts

  76. I missed the storm! Now I feel like I have to look for the screenshots. Just for knowing purposes. Pole though. Watu ni wale wale. Ata Musa alishindwa kuwacontrol. So calm down and down some JW.

  77. I love the conclusion….Biko give yourself that hamper ( maybe donate it to me after rewarding yourself), #KeepYourChinUp #KeepWalking!…

  78. I was hoping you would leave it up, i think we needed to have that conversation especially when the story found its way to twitter and emotions were up. But i understand your decision to take it down too

  79. You told the story….i read it and it made me wonder so much about Enid and her being able to forgive and be friends with her rapists. I guess am not so forgiving unless you are family or a very close friend. Am a KOT but i saw the lynching and you trending at around 3PM. Of course I didnt connect to Enid forgiving the 3 rapists and even being friends with them! How now? #keepwalking

  80. Pole Biko.I must have been slaving in a mine, I missed your post. But yesterday is gone and Kenyans forget fast! Onto the next thing!

  81. Twitter is full of mediocre blood hounds who are just spoiling for a fight.
    Ponder on this words from the Desiderata…
    Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
    and listen to others,
    even the dull and the ignorant;
    they too have their story.

    Keep walking and keep on keeping on because we as the gang…Will always have your back.

  82. Good thing is, you are walking today. you told a story too well. I
    still don’t understand what the anger was all about. KOT are already known to be hypocrites! unless I missed it, nobody offered help to the girl incase she needs it coz if you asked me, she is aware of her condition and has moved on. such days aren’t entirely bad. learn
    from it, stand up and keep walking..

  83. Chocolate man, I read the post yesterday but did not see the twitter lynch. I was just surprised by the apology later.
    My take – this was not your story – Enid chose to share it. You were just the medium. I saw nothing in the post condoning rape. I saw the challenges of bi-polar disorder. I saw situations that can make you vulnerable. I was actually planning to share the story with my daughter later in the day.
    You did nothing wrong Biko, but I like your attitude – you go down, but the sun rises again (if God allows it). With it comes new beginnings. The challenges of yesterday become but a memory, a lesson and a hope for the future. I love that you can find a way to make what would have been a depressing post quite humourous.
    Best wishes Chocolate Man.

    1. True. She wanted her story shared. ah but people, if you do not see things as they see them…you get crucified!

  84. My heart goes out to you Biko. ☺ . I’m a huge fan. You make me laugh…let’s focus on that. #MyVeryFirstTimeToComment.

  85. Boy!! am I not surprised!! I never got a chance to read the post, let alone know that Biko was trending. Anyway, my two cents, kindly do not take it personally. Sometimes I think that people react the way they do, because probably they have had a worse shitty day that you, and spewing their anger on you, was they way of dealing with their day, heck! I always think they all do actually, coz the hatred on twitter and social media is usually crazy!! depicts the society we live in, and the daily frustrations people go through.It is well Biko, and it will be well.

  86. Next time, don’t call those people you called. Call that dude of #ContainC3I. He fixes these Social Media crisis things pretty fast and nice.

  87. “It’s going nuts”, he said. I thought, nuts is a good because I assumed it’s good nuts. Kumbe, it was bad nuts. Rotten nuts. Shit nuts.
    Shit nuts indeed

  88. I read the post,there was nothing wrong with it at all.
    But Twitter is full of bellends anyway.
    Take it on the chin Biko.

  89. Keep walking….love how you still advertise the brand even when the storm is there.when they throw you Lemons make lemonade

  90. Isn’t it sad when so many people can get the facts twisted? Fact, that young lady had already told her story to the world on her blog. Fact; the sad, sad fact, the noise makers are selective readers. No offence darling Biko but the truth is if I am really an adept reader then your blog is not my only source of the world view. In more ways than one they proved that their truth and world view is acquired only by what you write!! A big compliment to you 🙂 so big up man!!
    Now on to the painful truths in the post and the sad reaction solicited……. Reality, in a patriarchal society such as ours, the woman carries the shame of a broken marriage, the shame of sexual abuse. Remember when touts were on a strip-the-woman rampage, was it not said that the women provoked said ‘men’? Our society has taught that beautiful girl and many others like her that we are to blame. Then religion came and told us that we need to forgive, and philosophers and psychologists told us that doing so was really for ourselves and not for those that caused us pain.
    As a woman, when you suffer in the hands of a man and have society point the accuse finger at you. You cower and grovel. And the super heroine in you takes cover because she is gagged!! So you make nice. You cling on to the words from the religious man, and write a mantra from the philosophers and psychologists words because if you do not, you might just die!!
    You call it a mistake. I have a different definition for you, you dear Biko now know first-hand what a sexual assault victim lives through. They are well meaning people you meet, shake hands with, and sat at the bar with, maybe. Until they have the upper hand and can exercise it on you with no regard for your well-being, physical or psychological. You are blamed for what happened to you, because you should have known better, right? Wrong, they could have been more human! You get angry and so emotionally overwhelmed that you just want it to stop! You give up the good fight, you apologize and make good, and then maybe they offer you a chocolate bar.
    The rape gets swept under the rag because we refuse to address the consequences of our actions and choices. Who will stand with the girl and help her take her power back?? Will she be safe from the next man in authority who keeps leering at her? It is wrong to forgive him when he violates her eventually, because guess what, it’s a matter of when and not if, because you dear society, you have given him the power to do so. And taken away from her, any that she could use to fight for herself 
    So do not crucify the man who amplifies her voice, our voice, as she tells her story, our sad, sad story. And no, she doesn’t glorify the offence nor the offender you, you society did that all on your own. Take ownership and change, only then will you change her narrative, the narrative told by all sexual assault victims. Don’t blame the voice in the forest for failing her!

  91. I liked the part you talk about the guys from Mpasho. Furthermore, there is always a funny side to everything if we choose to see it.

  92. I read the article on Twitter and truly there was nothing worth the lynching. But I kept questioning my own stand on two things- One, that the girl had stopped thinking of the men as rapists and two that,on reflecting she attracted or encouraged the rapists – to carry outthe atrocities. And these two may have left people asking – what exactly are we saying to young girls out there about rape?? And I feltconflicted, just conflicted.

  93. God did not promise that we would not have storms in our lives. He promised that He would see us through them.

  94. I should have mentioned your forehead chocolate man. But i seriously failed to understand what the fuss was all about

  95. I guess the lynching squad was querying whether the girl would have shared the details if she wasn’t bipolar, how she had stopped seeing the men as rapists and how shefelt that she was to blame for the rapes. The post was good but these three things led people to query the message we were sending to young girls and to rapists. I guess the lynchingsquad was demanding that we tell the story sensitively, that it could send out wrong signals about our view of rape.

    1. OO so that was what they lynching squad were thinking? Now I see why they were bad. But they should have just called me to ask hehe.

  96. Way to come back…..”Do you know the most amazing thing? That if God allows,
    the sun always rises the next day, always! And regardless
    how your day ended the previous day, you have to rise with it and do better and be better.
    You chin up and you keep walking. You always keep walking.”

  97. After reading the story i reflected on my life and said people really go through alot in life, you think you have challenges until you get to hear the story of someone else who has gone through what you have never imagined happening and you thank God for being merciful despite your daily shortcomings, then i read the appology and the numerous comments and think how fast things can turn around when you least expect, then i get home in the evening and i read from the book of life on 2 corinthian 2, 5-11 and say to myself Biko and everyone else need to read the verses,for we all have fallen short and need to learn the path of forgiveness.

  98. Biko,
    I say this with no ill will towards you. I watched everything unfold on Twitter and said nothing, only wishing that the girl was OK. I also empathize with you when it comes to online abuse, it has a way of sapping your energy.

    I am also disappointed that you don’t seem to understand why that post was a problem. This entire blog post is focused on yourself, on your struggles, on your feeling that you were drowning. Do you know what it feels like to have someone have sex with you without your consent? Do you know what it feels like to carry that trauma? To see them and to feel suffocated? To report it and to be told that you are lying? It feels like drowning. Sometimes it is easier to numb yourself and pretend that you are “over it”, which is what I think Enid did. I do not blame Enid, she has a right to respond to her life in the way that makes most sense for her. I hope that she is able to find the healing that she needs. But there are other rape victims who are still coming to terms with their trauma, who feel as though they are somehow to blame for their rapes– for those women (and some men)– such a post was a slap in their face. Using that kind of story to sell an alcohol brand was a slap to their face. While I empathize with your experience being assailed by all of that anger online, I think that more importantly, we need to consider the other side of the story. With great power comes great responsibility. With a platform like yours, which reaches thousands of Kenyans daily, you will be held up to high standards and expected to be thoughtful about what it is you put out there. It means thinking about the impact of your words, and it means being willing to honestly be sorry when you mess up. I don’t think that you’re sorry. I think that you’re so focused on your own pain that you haven’t even considered that your post was hurtful to many.

    Biko– as many people always want to point out– is the father of a daughter.

    Please do better. I know a lot of people will come here telling you that you did nothing wrong and protecting you. You have the choice to either push yourself to do better and to understand where the criticism is coming from, or to be complacent with the cheers and equate the criticism to hateful and angry for no reason. But in the meantime, you have a platform, and as long as you continue to write, you will continue to receive criticism, so you need to toughen up.

    By the way, anyone saying that Biko deleted that post because of “Angry Birds”, this is not the first or second or third time that something that Biko wrote has been met with people being offended on Social media. Biko is always offending people (and I think every writer has the right to offend, otherwise Freedom of Speech is pointless) but he never pulls down posts. The only difference in this case was that the post was sponsored by Johnny Walker, who probably didn’t want their brand associated with the negative PR. Basically, the reason that post came down was not because of the angry people on Social Media, but because Biko was told to take it down by the advertiser.

    1. Wairimu, kind stranger. I’m okay. I am not numb. I healed, there is a difference. I don’t know how you feel about rape but it happened to me and I dealt with it ,had trauma counselling for a year and I am fine. I chose to share the story. If you want to blame someone, blame me for sharing my story. I am an adult and I know what I was doing.

    2. You are coming from a good place trying to rationalize what happened on twitter and I respect that. However you fail to understand that there are so many ways to deal with trauma and choosing to forgive before it eats away at you from the inside is not the same as pretending to be over it.

    3. I resonate with your sentiments. Biko is in a position of infuence and as he has learnt that comes with a huge responsibility to the public… those who cant speak for themselves.. etc. And as an avid readerof this blog – i cannot agree for the sake of agreing. The article passed the portrayed the wrong message, and was not sensitive. Glad it was taken down.

  99. I missed that story…
    must have been slaving in some mine…i read the comments on the apology though.
    My heart broke each time the lady Enid tried to defend the article through a series and series of comments..i felt for her.
    One thing though, it seemed the jury at twitter dint have a pic of you to plaster around…Man,ur forehead wuld have suffered.
    Am sure ur ok now, better than yesterday.
    #keep walkin

  100. Beautiful read. You handled the situation with the grace and elegance of your Vitz lol. But seriously. Good work keeping your chin up. We bleed because we are humans.

  101. That was crazy. YOU have written amazing pieces over and over again. Made us laugh and made us wonder. Then one day you err and write something that someone doesn’t agree with and suddenly you become a monster?? Seriously gang????

  102. what I’d like to know though: how did the girl take it? It can’t be easy to tell your story then have a raging mass of incoherent and entitled folk sneer at it, some showing you pity when all you want is some understanding, for people to treat you as a normal person not as an object of pity.

  103. “That if God allows, the sun always rises the next day, always! And regardless
    how your day ended the previous day, you have to rise with it and do better
    and be better.” this resonates with me

  104. We all make stupid mistakes, so hang in there, this might not be the last time you’re being crucified, you never know when #KOT will find something else against you. It’s life, never a smooth road.

  105. Poor Biko…i like the guy who said..’it is all in a days job”..did not read the article and thank God..never saw the storm

  106. Keep your head up. It is already yesterday’s news and will soon be forgotten. I look forward to your next posts. Keep doing what you do best.

  107. For the record Biko, I think that was a brave post and more girls than would want to admit have similar stories. Mostly because such an experience is not an easy one to process so for some the ability to keep some relationship with people who have abused you is the only way to hold on to a sense of something strong around the whole experience. Is it right? I dont know. Is it wrong? I dont know. What I do know is absolute is a lie. So, chin up, thats what happens when you touch reality too real-y

  108. I am one of the miners so I only knew something was up when I saw the apology. My take – KOT are always looking for the next thing to vent out their bitterness. you shouldn’t have pulled down the post – you were just the messenger.#keepwalking Chocolate man.

  109. Yesterday was bad Biko. Very bad. Very very bad. But it won’t change the fact that you are a good person. If God allows, the sun always rises the next day. And it has. Keep up your good work.
    And disowning your siblings lol

  110. Keep walking Biko, been a silent member of the gang but i had to speak up about this.
    You did nothing wrong you were only a medium for the story to be told.
    People lost sight of what the bigger picture was.
    As you said, everyone has a bad day and people will always fight anything even if it makes sense.
    Don’t be bothered Keep Walking!!!!

  111. The storm, however tempestuous will never change the one fact: that you are a star in art. Whatever peole say doesn’t change your being. They may read malice in your intentions, but that never makes you guilty. The most important thing is to just watch them, then move on.

  112. I totally agree, I did read the article and saw a spark BT couldn’t wait for the forest fire on twitter. It was somebody’s story but Luke Jesus you were the one crucified

  113. I don’t normally comment on your blog, i see myself as a normal person, read a post and share it with
    my facebook friends and don’t share it on twitter, actually assume nobody will be in the mood
    to read not because the hate you, which might be a reason, but because at any given time they are
    hating om someone.
    SO why i am i commenting to your blog today you ask? Right off the bat, you wrote an apology, not
    apologizing to your readers but keyboard warriors offended by anything of no impotance.

    secondly, just to tell you; don’t ever be the pussy you were yesterday

  114. Mine worker here. That said, the truth is uncomfortable,it forces us to look at ourselves. You made people look at themselves. Keep giving a voice to the voiceless.

  115. Hehehe… 3 things..
    1. None of my siblings checked up on me which is cool because when I win a Pulitzer I will say I was the only child during my acceptance speech. I will disown each one of those traitors. You wait. (That’s a winner!!!)
    2. I commented and you did not mention me… so, when they ask for my role models, i will never mention you…never ever… 🙁
    3. It was never a mistake, and will never be. Why do people want others to hide their feelings, opinions, judgements, etc? It was her opinion that she made bad decisions or trusted people too fast, and it was yours to post it. Why allow other people to determine what is right or wrong? I was sad after the post was brought down. We just bowed to other people’s views other than allow ourselves to watch reality and judge it as we please!!!
    5. We must keep walking… and walking…

  116. Didn’t read the post. But hey, take heart. We know your heart is always in the right place. And you apologized. We without sin, shall cast the the first stone.

  117. You know what, a well know twitter female militant aka feminist general even came up with “Men are Trash”. Biko she called us trash, lmao. Anyway, people have issues in their lives that they don’t know how to handle but to spew the frustrations all over social media. Keep your chin up, and forehead…Twitter and it’s militants are TRASH.

  118. Enid’s story was an eye opener. At least I read it before it was pulled down. To both Biko and Enid, Keep Walking.

  119. Twitter is among other things, a repository of thin skinned idiots who will rise to the slightest hint of provocation no matter how distant it is to them. Kenyan twitter is among the worst species of digital humanity. Over eager to accept the trendy status of perpetual victimhood in the name of being ‘woke’. Either way, don’t worry. In less than a decade, twitter will become as irrelevant as MySpace before it and real life- will go on as it must and always has. Let the thin skinned offenserati foam in faux outrage and grind their teeth at the cruel world that has it out for them. As my mum’s people say, “thii ukiumaga”.

  120. I read the post. I still can’t understand what the fury was all about. Keep walking Biko and don’t ever stop writing.

  121. man! they came down on you with the wrath of a god. for a moment I thought you’d be making a run for the border. but you here, the gang is here, si they can shove their mafeelings where the sun don’t shine. the article may have been sensitive but the motive innocuous.

  122. I read the post,thankfully of course, and didn’t see anything worth lynching. Back from invigilation I saw fumes of smoke from your end.I wondered, kwani which moral compass is this they are using? Poor you. Keep walking.

  123. thats why you are Biko Zulu you took it in ….and now you have done this write up.
    this write up .
    head up…let he without sin cast the first stone…eish…its Chocolate man not an angel

  124. I do relate with this: “The good comes with the bad. I wasn’t sure in what form it would come, but it was coming. I felt it under my feet, a little tremor from afar. I just didn’t think it would come on the day I was wearing my happy socks.”

  125. it is said you can cure 100 kids of cancer, but kill one misdiagnosing a cold and you’ll never be called a doctor again or better yet, drive 1 million miles withot incident and be called a negligent driver for the one crash you caused though i still believe you did nothing wrong……chin up broh i’ll still look forward to your pieces everday no matter how “trashy” The high court of twitter call it

  126. In Kenya today it seems Twitter and its cohort are the new chama cha baba na mama and this week it seems Larry bird was their J.J. Kamotho.

  127. Biko,I recommend you watch the British series by the name Black Mirror, Season 3 Episode 6 ‘Hated in the Nation'[It’s available on Netflix]..in the meantime take comfort in knowing, this too shall pass!

  128. Your intent is to share the pain that people have gone through and maybe thats why you wrote on the chick, which was a very unique story,,but I hope it goes further to assist the young girl and the rapists to be arrested.You are still my baba in writing, keep smiling…if you read the Bible often you will know a verse that says all things work together for your good.. this twitter storm will push you to greater heights..trust in He who began a great work in you…Keep in mind that He has given you a great responsibility..You have power in your hands and above all influence…Keep on keeping on chocolate man. 🙂

    1. Thanks. I am that young girl. I am immensely assited. If you read my blog you would know. And the rapists paid their dues. Thank you.

  129. So, I missed the post because my day seems to have 20hrs so by the time I sit down to read social media, a lot of water has gone under the bridge. I caught a few embers of the fire but I could not make out what had happened and because I had no energy to go through the rubble, I moved on and (for some reason) I knew there would be a post about this, just like the Jadudi story and stolen shines. Anyway, since you seem to have found the Lord amidst the mess, can you kindly email me that art of forgiveness? Thanks.

  130. I haven’t read the article..time difference + work lag(like jet lag) so I missed out on whatever hullabaloo was caused by your article. I hate the term PC, with a passionate purple flame. It chokes and gags, forcing us to conform or face a sure social death. Onwards with the original definition of being Politically Correct, down with whatever haphazard meaning is being shoved down our throats these days. carpe diem biko, there’s a Pulitzer with your name on it waiting for you

  131. Pole Biko. In Kenya, many people suffer from the PhD (pull her or him down syndrome), it sounds corny but its true. When people cannot fault what you do, because you do it per excellence, they have to wait for that ‘golden’moment when you érr’or show any ‘weakness’then they move in like wolves. Many people loath those who are shining in their area of strength. I wish these people would concentrate their energies on making their lives better and improving themselves instead of pulling others down. You are excellent at what you do, keep doing it. Many people enjoy what you do, they appreciate you. Don’t let small minded, talentless, mustard-seed brained people, lol, bring you down. Chin up, chin up.

  132. Biko, why don’t you get the lady to write, in her own words, what she wants to share with the world? Don’t let losers intimidate you.

  133. The lynching…. life of a writer. Chin up.

    Totally relate to the siblings part. That’s how they show they “care”!
    “None of my siblings checked up on me which is cool because when I win a Pulitzer I will say I was the only child during my acceptance speech. I will disown each one of those traitors. You wait.”

  134. Bikozulu. Yes, the High Court of Twitter (KOT) can be very unforgiving. And yesterday they feasted on you. They snacked on you and when they could not get enough of you, they had you for lunch. Yes, a big lunch. Little did they know that Bikozulu was somewhere watching, and musing over all this. They saw you pen this very beautiful piece. Looking forward to your next article. Bikozulu.

  135. Do you know the most amazing thing? That if God allows, the sun always rises the next day, always! And regardless how your day ended the previous day, you have to rise with it and do better and be better. You chin up and you keep walking. You always keep walking. I like this and yes, you wake up, dust yourself and move on
    .

  136. I have never commented but for this i must…..Biko am your corner. My son,10, is a budding writer and he adores you..

  137. ”Mine went apeshit from 0 to about 200, 000 in a blink. I leave my desk for a minute to go bask in the sun and when I go back, the devil is seated at my desk with that devilish grin. Gotcha!” Haha
    I did see the post and shared screenshots on several whatsapp groups and guys didn’t understand what the twitter storm was all about. I don’t suppose it was a wrong judgement call on your part.
    Despite the roast you did chin up and and here we are,
    Pole lakini.

  138. I must say, I’m quite disappointed by this piece. It is, for lack of a better term, incredibly self centred. A great opportunity to raise a discussion about the issue at hand has been completely tossed out the Window here. You say you understand that you made a poor judgement call, then why not explain why it was poor, for the many that missed the story or that are still confused about why it was an issue at all. Why not start a discussion about rape, rape apologists, victim blaming or mental illness. To me, this article completely missed the point. I find it hard to believe that you truly understood what you were apologising for. In which case, you could have taken this as an opportunity to learn, ask, figure out exactly what your mistake was. Nobody will crucify you for wanting to better yourself (except angry Twitter, but those ones we ignore, if they are not willing to be constructive). Anyway, this piece was too much about you, and not at all about the issue. Nothing gained whatsoever.

  139. That was just a case of being burnt by the fire that refines you into gold. I also thought the post was in bad taste. Okay, I had no problem with the lady sharing her story but I could not just reconcile with that part of her being friends with the rapists and what message that passed across. I felt that maybe she diverted her pain to somewhere else or ivalidated her feelings to consider those of her perpetrators. But then she refuted my claims. Anyway, that is what writing is all about. you cannot be loved by everyone all the time. I adore your writing Biko but that doesn’t mean I will agree with everything you write because the aim of a writer is to act as a mirror which the society reflects itself not necessarily to be liked.

  140. This is a perfect case of how we often miss the point.I read the post and didnt find it insensitive.From the lady’s story, I appreciated the power of forgiveness.What is important for me is that it came from a good place.God bless you Biko.

  141. …hmmm,what did I think about that post that was pulled down? ’twas eye opening actually.
    She’s got bipolar and she had first class [!]. It made me go do a detailed research on bipolar.
    I also thought, the post was part of your versatility in writing… and for a person like me,
    who is ALL about versatility and speaking people’s truths as it is and shedding positive insight while at it,
    I was not just impressed, I was humbled. So thank you for sharing her story.

    Something happened to me barely two months ago. A painful realization turned sour
    in a matter of hours. And the worst part was, I kinda stood in the presence of
    a lot of people, most of whom I respected deeply…. and there is nothing harder than
    trying to be gracefully hurt while the entire public stares at you, and trying to see
    what you will do [next]. So I kinda get where you might have been jana/ where you are now.
    And for those who are wondering how anyone can be friends with a foe, hmmmm… You’d be amazed
    the kind of healing that can come from your offenders. Yes, I dare say that out loud because
    over the last two months, I was this close to getting in depression.
    Although there were people who reached out and saved me from sinking, I got
    IMMENSE healing from asking my offender, “How are you?” It’s not much about
    the reply, but the very fact that I could lay me down for a while, and learning
    something new about forgiveness and love. Mwanzo love!!! It’s really easy loving
    a person (friend) when they show you their positive attributes, but would you do the
    same when you learn about their flaws? Kinda like Jesus and the Samaritan woman.
    Anyway, point is I get her, and Biko, I am really glad you shared both stories
    that one and this one. Thanks.

  142. I didn’t get to read the article yesterday and am sorry some Kenyans decided that since they can’t harass the people responsible for NYS scandal or all the other scandals, they direct all their anger to you.Anyway as much as it doesn’t help saying this *don’t mind them* and on the bright side if half of those people who went on a rampage read that post Man you got a following, a HUGE following *Thumbs Up*

  143. Its a new day man……people can be so mean. Saw some of the harsh comments on twitter…good thing is its a New day.

  144. I didn’t get to read the article. However I know you become vulnerable when you open yourself to the world….that is what you have with all of us. You won’t always write things that resonate with everyone..so be ready for the beatin
    Keep your chinew up and do what you do best!make me laugh

  145. I read the article and it was an eye opener.Forget about those twitter guys they rather lynch you than have a real conversation. I pity them with their self righteous selves.Keep up thr the good work Chocolate man.I see that Pulitzer very soon

  146. The comment section on this post feels like a large empty room with loud chirp echoes. Regardless, I am glad you’ve chosen to keep walking.

  147. Biko – you were just a soft target. KoT could not go after Enid whose decisions and stand they could not handle.
    #L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N

  148. I honestly wasn’t offended by the article, the lady seemed happy with the state of things in her life. Who am I to criticize Biko for the lady’s thoughts/opinion?

  149. I hear you Biko. A similar thing happened to me a couple of years ago so I know what you must have been going through yesterday.
    The comments section on twitter contains a lot of pent up rage and ugliness, you were simply it’s victim this time round: https://deesfeeds.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/not-sure-i-like-twitter-after-all/
    Keep heart and don’t take it personally because the majority of us who have been following you all this while understand what you’re about. The haters and the trollers will keep hating and trolling but they will never ever diminish your greatness.
    https://deesfeeds.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/not-sure-i-like-twitter-after-all/

  150. Twitter is a cesspool of anger… You’re almost saying that if it wasn’t for Twitter, then you wouldn’t be given feedback on your lack of judgement. Bwana Jackson. Ulifanya makosa (ambayo umeeleza). Kubali yaishe

  151. Biko, I always make sure to read all your posts and am not planning to miss ‘that’ one, hook me up at [email protected]’ll highly appreciate.Meanwhile, methinks political correctness is just shallow.

  152. Biko, you don’t know shit about feeling lynched. You should ask one Hillary Rotham Clinton. Take heart man. At least your forehead wasn’t at all dented.

  153. Sorry you had to go through that. I’m glad you chose to rise above. It already blowing over, so keep doing your thing. You rock.

  154. I have never some across ignorant people like #KOT who rant 24/7 and who are up to no good. They are the most idle people around trying to make a name for themselves by bringing other people down. It never works that way and never will. God doesn’t even allow that. Chin up Biko!

    1. It is incorrect to call KOT ignorant. Every forum has people with diverse views, including this one. The rants (if thats what they are) were not raised for nothing, but based on a a
      Serious issue from their own perspective. And while the approach of addressing is different, it doesnt mean it was out of ignorance, but they spoke about something that needed to be said.

  155. A few gracious people called to say, chin up. Mutoko, who must know how it feels like to be tied to the big twitter tree called and said, “Keep it together, stay upright. It shall pass.” Mark Kaigwa sent me a powerful email on the art of apology which I can share with all husbands if you guys are interested. Scores of acquaintances Whatsapped to check if I was still standing and I’m sure when they saw blue ticks they were surprised I was still alive. None of my siblings checked up on me which is cool because when I win a Pulitzer I will say I was the only child during my acceptance speech. I will disown each one of those traitors. You wait.

    Do you know the most amazing thing? That if God allows, the sun always rises the next day, always! And regardless how your day ended the previous day, you have to rise with it and do better and be better. You chin up and you keep walking. You always keep walking.

    It hasn’t and won’t change the Biko we know and believe in . You are strong though

  156. Is it just me that saw nothing wrong with Biko’s post?? Why would people want the voice of that lady lost by changing the story??

  157. Your heart has never been anywhere else except in the right place…chin up ! This too has passed. Your entire comment section and I believe in you.

  158. EMPATHY, is a good thing. We should know that the twitter rants, even if from a self entitled twitter lot, was from a good place.

  159. You have to take the good with the bad.when Jadudi trended and you were famous for helping him “twirra” was awesome. so now yeah you got some hate its a humbling experience aint it?.And all those guys who have commented up there that KOT are idle yet you laugh at mean tweets(seriously jimmy Kimmel mean tweets is a must see) and vitriol on twirra lets be real. we have all enjoyed at some point someones demise on tiwtter, we have forwarded screenshots and written some mean tweets of our own,lets not be hypocritical just because Biko got bullied for a few hours.

  160. What I hated so much about the post (I read it on IG), I didn’t see anything wrong at all.. so when people were complaining I wondered what has happened to my judgement.

  161. You have no business writing to suit everyone’s tastes Biko. You are a writer, a free writer who talks about real things some which peope would rather pretend don’t exist. A writer, not PR officer. I just wish you never brought that post down

  162. “Mark Kaigwa sent me a powerful email on the art of apology which I can share with all husbands if you guys are interested” hehehe

  163. Just read the story. It’s surprising how people missed out the real story-how the lady has triumphed over her condition. Kudos to the lady. Biko, don’t worry. Today they are going after Eric Omondi..

  164. I’ve enjoyed reading you Biko whatever happened. And by the way, lol, I know Ferre Golla and love him. Andy Mputu and some.

  165. Biko, twitter is like that ex who keeps saying im always there for you when you need me. Dont be fooled. Its always a trap. They dont know you like we(Gang) do.

  166. “Do you know the most amazing thing? That if God allows, the sun always rises the next day, always! And regardless how your day ended the previous day, you have to rise with it and do better and be better. You chin up and you keep walking. You always keep walking.

    Awesome ending…..Chin Up Biko

  167. hmm….never been on Twitter. Now I will definitely stay away.We all make mistakes.You eat humble pie. Get up and move on. In a world without social media you’d probably be admonished by the people you sit with around the beer pot and all would be well the next day…or in a week.This our global village. Hello neighbour!

  168. I guess the suprise is how People saw this post from such different lenses. It just shows how different and diverse we are or perceive this issue and how much more needs to be done. On this one, i agree with KOT that the content was insensitive to women… the public in a country where we are battling the normalization of the rape culture. And anyone in a position of power has a huge responsibility to inform on what truths we need out there. Am glad Biko apologized and took it down. It is definitely a lesson learnt.

  169. Disclaimer, I never read the article. It was pulled down before I had a chance to. I wasn’t amused. See how you ruined my day? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. However, I caught up with Enid’s story in one of the local dailies. I had heard of how Biko got burned at the stake by the Twitter ‘feminist brigade’ as one of my buddies put it. Congratulations Biko! You are know a dyed-in-the-wool Twitter martyr. Rape and bipolar depression are representations of the two things that Kenyans have an aversion discussing. Namely, sexuality and mental illness. Oh yes, we want to ‘deal’ with the rape culture but we don’t want names, faces, people and places. Too unsettling. Same thing with people living with mental illness. We’d rather they are all locked up in Mathari Hospital. Or locked up in a room where they are never seen or heard. That should take care of that. Because God forbid a young lady suffering from bipolar share her story. And she is the one we have a problem with? Any idea what it took for her to speak up? To show her face? To tell her story. Then we kill the messenger because we don’t like what we are hearing. Dealing with things means talking about them no matter how painful or ’embarrassing’. The real tragedy is that the article was pulled down. Another person with bipolar depression silenced. Another rape victim silenced. Guess who won?

  170. If Biko was so apologetic he would have done a fresh story on his platform to make up for it and vindicate himself. Mental health and gender violence will always be a sensitive topic.
    Looking back I definitely wouldn’t have shared the story with you Biko or through a marketing scheme by an ‘alcohol’ label.
    But you owe us an article on how she moved on and later did two stories on ntv and ntv Saturday magazine to set the story straight
    Make it about mental health..it is less volatile