This archive report was first published on 7 November 2019.
On November 7, 2019, a day that would go down in history as one of the most memorable in the Kibra by-election, former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale found himself at the center of a viral storm.
Photographs of Khalwale, a senior politician and medical doctor, collecting stones from a ditch and posing as if ready for action, quickly spread across social media platforms, reducing him to a meme.
The politician, who was leading the campaign for Jubilee candidate McDonald Mariga, had earlier in the day been captured on video being stoned by some individuals in Kibra.
As the seat fell vacant after the death of Ken Okoth, Imran's brother who succumbed to cancer earlier in the year, Khalwale's actions sparked a mix of reactions from netizens, with some taking to Twitter to express their amusement and others to express their disappointment.
Here are a few reactions:
- .. — Donald B Kipkorir (@DonaldBKipkorir) November 7, 2019
- How I deal with anyone who gets in mawe… — Baba Kayai (@BabaKayai) November 7, 2019
- These pictures are disheartening and sad. This man was once a kingpin of a whole community, he’s a medical doctor, the immediate former Senator of Kakamega County. Who or what reduced Boni Khalwale to this? — Ahmed Mohamed ((ASMALi)) (@Asmali77) November 7, 2019
- Poor Bonny Khalwale, They have reduced you to this. What a SHAME! my friend! WHAT A SHAME! — KENNETH (@IkeOjuok) November 7, 2019
- Circumcised men never run away! They face their problems head on. Khalwale stood alone against men who only look confident when in a group. — NaiBei™ (@naiblogger) November 7, 2019
As the Kibra by-election continues to unfold, one thing is clear: Boni Khalwale's stone-armed stand will be remembered for a long time to come.
