Nairobi Woman Rep. Esther Passaris, KFCB CEO Ezekiel Mutua Clash over Attacks on Akothee
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris and Kenya Film Classification (KFCB) CEO Ezekiel Mutua have clashed over attacks on Kenyan singer Esther Akoth alias Akothee.
Earlier this week, Mutua attacked Akothee over her "filthy and stupid stunts" during a performance in Watamu, Malindi County last weekend.
“Kenya has got talent but as long as we keep celebrating this kind of madness, our entertainment industry will never grow. Akothee is talented but the filthy and stupid stunts she has to pull to remain relevant should concern all of us. What’s worse is to see grown-up men and women celebrating this scatological obscenity in the name of entertainment,” Mutua said in a post.
However, Ms. Passaris has told off Mutua saying that there's no law that prohibits Akothee from doing what she did on stage.
“There is no law that stops what Akothee did in Watamu, or anyone else, I grew up in Mombasa where chakacha was normal. We are talking about entertainment… people paid to go.”
“Sexuality is beautiful, when he put them at the garden of Eden, he didn’t clothe them, he put them there naked. I feel that there is an element of control, this is a patriarchal society, men want to control women,” Ms. Passaris noted.
The politician says Mutua, who is popularly known as the Kenyan 'moral police', must apologize to the musician for insulting her.
“You owe Akothee an apology because you insulted her and called her demonic,” said Passaris.
“It is not her duty to teach our children, it’s our duty as parents to teach our children. She is a single mother, she inspires a lot of people. She didn’t do it in a school compound, she didn’t do it for underage children.”
Mutua has stood his ground and has refused to apologize to the "Oyoyo" hitmaker.
“It’s not about controlling what or killing creativity it’s about societies setting a moral threshold on how they want to behave. To that extent we have no apologies whatsoever, Esther can say what she wants, Akothee can say what she wants but as long as it’s in public performance..that kind of nonsense is a stage play," Mutua asserted.
“It’s cheap, immoral and demeaning for a grown woman to expose her private parts in public or gyrate for men in the name of entertainment. How sad that even our national leaders think it’s funny."
Akothee has since hit back at Mutua, stating that she's no one's role model.
“When I was broke I was nobody’s role model, now that I am rich and famous, you want to ride on my money and fame…take responsibility for your own children, take their phone and unfollow me, I am ratchet, period, what happened to your church pastors , aunties sisters and grandmothers , No one is paying me for role model position and no one pays me for manners…” Akothee noted.